By Matthew Sims and Callum Godde
Cardinia Council mayor Jack Kowarzik has welcomed the State Government’s agreement with the Greens to establish a $50 daily default loss limit on pokies.
In July 2023, then premier Daniel Andrews and Gaming Minister Melissa Horne announced reforms for electronic gaming machines.
Under the reforms, all Victorian pokies are set to require mandatory pre-commitment limits and carded play.
Load-up limits, how much money an individual can put into a machine at a time, were slated to be capped at $100, down from $1000.
“This practical reform will have a real impact in curbing the horrible impacts predatory poker machines have on Victorians,“ Greens gambling harm reduction spokeswoman Katherine Copsey said on Thursday 20 June.
In addition, Ms Copsey said the gaming minister had written to the Greens agreeing there needed to be an overhaul of the Community Benefits Scheme.
The scheme allows clubs to claim an 8.33 per cent tax deduction on their net gaming revenue if they reinvest that percentage into the community.
But analysis of club declarations to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Commission showed more than $241 million of $311 million in pokies revenue in 2022/23 was spent on funding club operations, including wages, staff meals, beer, gas and decorations.
The proposed Responsible Gambling Foundation Repeal and Advisory Councils Bill 2024 would aim to abolish the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and repeal and amend a number of existing Acts.
Cr Kowarzik said the council was already working on reducing gambling harm across a number of avenues, including the development of a Gambling Harm Prevention and Minimisation Policy and as a key priority in the council’s Liveability Plan 2017-29
“Council is concerned about the health, social, and economic impacts of gambling, particularly electronic gambling machines, on individual residents, their families, and the broader community,“ he said.
“In 2022/23, over $35 million was lost to electronic gambling machines in Cardinia Shire, representing an average daily loss of $96,005.
“We will continue to work collaboratively with key stakeholders, including other levels of government, to advocate and influence gambling reform.
“Preventing gambling harm is essential for promoting the well-being and stability of residents and our whole community.“
Cardinia’s gamblers lost on average about $3.06 million per month between July 2023 and April 2024.
In April 2024, gamblers lost $2.91 million on electronic gaming machines, a 5.3 per cent drop from losses experienced in March.
Speaking on the Responsible Gambling Foundation Repeal and Advisory Councils Bill 2024 during Parliament on Thursday 20 June, South Eastern Metropolitan MP Michael Galea said the reforms aimed to provide a public health response to the issue of gambling harm and to move away from a perspective of ’responsible gambling’.
“This reform is about a health-led approach – providing health supports, because we know gambling harm is not a personal responsibility issue, it is a health issue,“ he said.
“This is a bill that is designed to support those people, to support vulnerable Victorians and to support our communities who are already facing extreme levels of gambling harm.
“This is a bill that will improve our responsiveness to that, with it backed in by that $165 million of funding.“
Alliance for Gambling Reform chief executive officer Carol Bennett said while the new Bill was a positive move ahead, more needed to be done to introduce a mandatory pre-commitment card with binding and default limits in pubs and clubs.
