Online-Casinos.com – Australia’s Guardian news recently reported a story about a Coalition that has plans to get rid of the national gambling regulator should it gain power in the next election. Instead the Coalition would set up an advisory council made up of representatives from the gaming industry.
This Coalition would also stop the mandatory pre-commitment rules that require gamblers to establish a bet limit on the poker machines. The proposals set forth by the Coalition have reportedly gained the support of Clubs Australia which represents many of the gambling venues in Australia.
The Coalition maintains it supports a “national voluntary pre-commitment program for electronic gaming machines”, but accused the ruling Labor party of doing little to help problem gambling after they said they will hand responsibility for problem gambling support services to the states.
A Clubs Australia spokesperson commented “The Coalition’s approach recognises the work already done and reflects the reality that policies based on proper consultation and consideration work better for problem gamblers than those that are the product of hasty political deals.”
With estimates that put the number of gamblers with issues at a half a million the government is said to be having trouble dealing with the $12 billion spent on poker machines by Australians every year. To put the gambling industry in a position where it governs itself and is made responsible for problem gambling remediation makes advocates of gambling reform nervous.
Dr.Colin McLeod, a senior fellow at the University of Melbourne, commented on the state of affairs, “It’s just bizarre to put the gambling industry in charge of the advisory group,” continuing, “What you’re asking the industry to do is to find ways to curtail the spending of its most profitable customers.”
McLeod also said, “We have got to start thinking about problem gambling as public health problem,” adding, “You go to any sporting match and there is a huge amount of advertising for gambling. It has become so intrusive in Australians’ lives.”
