Gambling is one of the most popular pastimes in the world. Some countries embrace the gambling industry more readily than others and some jurisdictions show a higher problem gambling prevalence rate than others. There are a number of factors that could increase one’s vulnerability to a gambling addiction, including cultural, economic, political, and legal.
Due to the easy access to various gambling options, it is easy to become a compulsive gambler. Australians are making the headlines for quite some time as the country suffers from gambling addiction epidemic. According to various studies, Australians gamble away more money than any other nation in the world. Many industry insiders believe that the slot machines (also known as “pokies”) are the root of all evil.
In fact, the Australian government is trying to fight with the rising pokies obsession, that enslaved more than half of the country. But the number of people addicted to gambling has been increasing at an alarming rate. Some anti-gambling activists stated that the government just throws dust in the eyes of the people as the country shovels money from the people’s obsession.
How the Government Determines Which Area is at Risk?
But it seems that the government is actually working on introducing measures to curb gambling addiction on pokies. Two days ago, Casino Guardian produced an article regarding New South Wales (NSW) latest decision to put a cap on new pokies in several areas classified as high-risk areas. It became clear that the new measure will be introduced in about 20% of NSW areas. Badly-behaved online gambling companies will be slapped a hefty financial penalty from AU$5,000 to AU$55,000.
The latest updates revealed that Bathurst has been classified as a medium risk area, which means that the New South Wales city will not face such a restriction on the number of pokies. Orange, on the other hand, has been classified as a high-risk area, which means that pubs and clubs will face a cap on poker machine numbers. Paradoxically, one venue in north Orange, and more precisely Waratah Sports Club, has been classified as a low-risk area.
The reason for this difference in the classification of one and the same regional area stems from the government’s location-by-location approach towards the classification. In other words, the NSW Government does not focus on the areas as a whole, but on the locations that are at high risk of developing gambling-related.
Other areas classified as high-risk areas include Lithgow, Cowra and Wellington. Bathurst, Dubbo, and Mudgee have been classified as medium risk areas. People shared mixed feelings on poker machines overhaul. According to some, the cap is not enough to stop the growing gambling epidemic across the country. It is yet too early to say if the measures are efficient enough to reduce the harm of problem gambling.
- Author
Daniel Williams
