IT is going to be extremely difficult for pubs and clubs across Australia to win the public relations war over plans to set pre-commitment levels for gaming machines.
But that’s not going to stop them trying.
A meeting of pub and club owners in Ballarat yesterday heralded another step in the battle over proposals before the federal government to adopt new methods to restrict problem gambling.
The government in combination with independent Andrew Wilkie is considering imposing mandatory betting limits – the states want voluntary limits.
The argument centres around trust.
Clearly Mr Wilkie believes that gamblers cannot be trusted – and that venues are not proactive enough in dealing with people and situations where gambling may have a detrimental impact on an individual.
He has significant information to support his view. Particularly in lower socio-economic areas where the lure of winning big can be all too tempting for the uneducated.
A significant problem with the proposed reforms is whether the limits and measures being suggested actually have the desired impact.
There is a fair argument that a $250 limit is far too excessive and will do little to greatly reduce instances of gambling escalation.
And the pubs and clubs will claim the government is in danger of legislating against casual players rather than problem gamblers.
Despite this, the volume of information in the community about the impact of pokies addiction now means the majority are likely to support action in one form or another.
It is difficult for pubs and clubs, which want more and more gaming machines, to make a solid case that they are against the reforms for the right reasons.
Moves by the state government to reform the way pokies licences are distributed and methods of reducing problem gambling have proven successful, in part. But more work is needed to create safer gambling environments.
If the government can prove this can be achieved without having the impact on pubs and clubs that their proprietors are suggesting it will, then we will welcome that solution.
We suspect that the pubs and clubs have much more work to do if they want to convince the public and the government that these reforms should not be implemented.
Email a friend