A financial counsellor, who works with some of the most vulnerable residents of Western Australia, has warned that the local Government should be very much ashamed if it makes it possible for electronic gaming machines (EGMs) to be offered in TABs across the state.
Alan Gray is a financial counsellor who is helping people suffering financial difficulties across the state. He has been working with problem gamblers who find it hard to control their gambling habits and spend more than they can actually afford to, which is why he has been one of the most avid opponents of the possible availability of simulated racing machines into TAB betting shops in the Kimberley that could be brought into action following the sale of the Western Australian TAB.
Mr Gray shared that he would like to see the aforementioned machines as far as possible from the state in order to prevent further financial problems for gambling addicts in Western Australia.
The financial counsellor has been concerned that the WA Government could be unwinding one of the best things about local society – holding the addictive gambling machines enclosed in casino venues only, which makes them more difficult to access. However, while TAB outlets, along with online gambling services, offer gambling options in the Kimberley region, vulnerable people seem to be suffering from greater gambling-related harm.
Electronic Gaming Machines Could Expand Outside Crown Perth Casino Thanks to Planned TAB Sale
Currently, poker machines, also known as pokies, are suspended under the Western Australian gambling law. So-called electronic gaming machines (EGMs), along with simulated racing games, are only permitted at the Crown Perth casino.
However, the Government of Premier Mark McGowan decided to allow the WA TAB bidder to start offering electronic simulated racing games in TAB outlets at the time when it first called for expressions of interest a couple of years ago.
The sale of the state-owned gambling operator was put on hold in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak but is now back on track. Unfortunately, the renewal of the process has coincided with one of the roughest periods for gambling in the state of Western Australia, with the TAB facing mounting pressure from the state’s monopoly casino and digital gambling services, while the state’s gambling regulator is also dealing with the scrutiny of the WA Royal Commission in 2021.
The ongoing inquiry, which is expected to officially unveil its findings in March 2022, has been unravelling the state’s policy of suspending pokies and whether, over time, electronic gaming machines have changed in a way that made them pretty much the same as poker machines. During the investigation, the Royal Commission heard new research findings, according to which the low problem gambling rates were due to the restricted availability of the EGMs. At the same time, the state has the highest proportion of gamblers in Australia.
According to one of the lead researchers of CQUniversity, Matthew Rockloff, electronic gaming machines are the most dangerous form of gambling available in Australia. He believes that the closer people are to a venue offering such gambling options, the more likely they are to develop problem gambling behaviour. Dr Rockloff further noted that the planned changes would make it possible for TAB gamblers to have extremely long gaming sessions without making breaks, which could have a detrimental impact, not only on their finances but on their lives as a whole. He also said that it was beyond any doubt that the move would lead to an increase in gambling-related harm rates.
- Author
Olivia Cole
