Tasmania’s gambling regulator has introduced a compulsory pre-commitment programme that will apply to members of slot loyalty programmes at the two landbased casinos in the Australian island state. Starting next month, the Tasmania Liquor and Gaming Commission will require such players to set annual rather than daily limits on their losses. The new measure aims to minimise the harms associated with the highly addictive slot machines, or pokies as the locals call them.
Loyalty programme members at the two Tasmanian casinos will have to set limits on the amount of money they can afford to lose within twelve months. Additionally, the pokie players will have to declare they are capable of financially sustaining their losses. The venues will be required to deny access to the loyalty schemes and their associated benefits to patrons who reach their pre-set annual loss limit within the time period.
As of June 2020, 996 Tasmanians had memberships in the loyalty programmes of local casinos. According to the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission, the measure is the first of its kind on Australian Soil. The regulator pointed out some states like Victoria operate similar pre-commitment schemes, but they are voluntary rather than mandatory, as is the case here.
Ms Jenny Cranston, who chairs Tasmania’s Liquor and Gaming Commission, said it is common for pokie players to underestimate the amounts they lose to the machines. Because of this, having access to concrete data may aid patrons in setting more realistic betting limits. In turn, this could prevent regular players from chasing their losses or losing more than they can afford, Ms Cranston believes.
Some Doubt the Effectiveness of the Measure
However, not everyone is as confident the measure will prove effective at combating problem gambling and gambling-related debt. MP Andrew Wilkie also addressed the changes and called the scheme introduced by the Tasmanian regulator “misleading”. According to the independent member of the Tasmanian House of Representatives, one such system would instil an illusory sense of security in gamblers.
MP Wilkie proceeded to call the measure “unsatisfactory”. He went on to say the mandatory loss limits might help a small minority of gamblers but will ultimately fail to yield the desired results. One such system could prove effective but on condition it applies to all pokie players and the limit is daily rather than annual, Wilkie concluded.
Megan Webb, an independent member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council, echoes Wilkie’s sentiments. MLC Webb called the measure a positive but small step toward reducing gambling-related harm. The mandatory limits apply only to members of the landbased casinos’ loyalty schemes, she said.
However, much of the pokie betting takes place in pubs or in the regular areas of the casino floor all gamblers have access to. MLC Webb suggested other measures should also be in place, citing slower spin speeds, lower bet limits, and smaller jackpots as examples.
- Author
Daniel Williams
