Are Pokies Betting Limits the Best Way Forward?

If you’ve been keeping up with news in the local gambling market, you’ll notice that there is a power struggle taking place between gaming operators, the government and responsible gambling advocates. With problem gambling becoming an increasingly prevalent problem in Australia, some believe that imposing betting limits on poker machines is the best solution – but no one can seem to come to a consensus on how to go about it.

Independent MPs like Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon believe that mandatory pre-commitment is the best way to curb problem gambling rates in Australia. This system allows players to set their own betting limits whenever they play pokies. The government was initially was on board with the initiative but recently downgraded from outfitting all machines in Australian with mandatory pre-commitment software to running a trial of voluntary pre-commitment software in Canberra.

One of the reasons the government has been able to stall the process is due to The Greens. The federal government want unanimous support for the plan; however, the Greens are not convinced. They would rather see $1 betting limits imposed on poker machines. This would mean that players cannot dictate how much they want to spend, as the Greens believe this would be an ineffective way to curb problem gambling rates. Instead, they would have to comply with the $1 limit imposed by the government.

Other organizations are going about the situation altogether differently. Rather than running its ideas by the federal government, responsible gambling organization GetUp is trying to convince one of the biggest poker machine operators to see things from its perspective. GetUp wants Woolworths to become the first poker machine operator in Australia to launch $1 betting limits on its machines – but Woolworths has resisted. The pokies operator does not believe that it will set an example for other operators, but rather turn players away to their competition.

So, are betting limits a good idea for the future of Australia’s gambling market? We believe that there is more than one answer to that question, as it is just one of many solutions required to deal with problem gambling rates in Australia. Betting limits will help players who may already be addicted to gambling, but what about prevention and treatment? There is a great need for problem gambling education programs, that inform players on how to gamble responsibly. Australians also require better access to counselling programs, so those that are already gambling addicts can find the assistance they need to break the detrimental habit.