As part of its efforts to curb problem gambling, the City Council of Lane Cove, one of Sydney’s suburbs, has reached the decision to get rid of the poker machines located in its buildings. As reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the buildings in question currently house the Longueville Sporting Club and the Lane Cove Bowling and Recreation Club, which own ten and seven pokie machines, respectively.
When speaking with ABC Radio Sydney, Rochelle Flood, Councillor of NSW Greens, said that councils should in no way support poker machines or gambling as a whole. “I think it’s quite clear the harm that poker machines cause in our communities,” she stressed, and current plans point to no pokies being left in the venues by the time they need to renew their respective leases. Most council members seem to share her views, as seven out of nine voted in favour of removing the poker machines from the clubs’ premises.
The Vote’s Outcome Was Met with Opposition
Consultation procedures are underway, and the plan has already been subject to criticism. David Brooks-Horn was among those to express disapproval of the decision, and he deemed the council a “nanny-state” for interfering with residents’ freedom of choice.
ABC also highlighted the stance of John Burke, Chairman of the Lane Cove Bowling and Recreation Club, who warned that the move would have grave financial consequences for the business. Current estimates point to 10% of this bowling club’s revenue being sourced from the pokie machines, and Mr Burke stated that due to the size of the establishment, the said percentage was of great significance.
He did not neglect to mention the lack of whales and stressed that the club’s guests tended to place modest bets. The said clients, he believes, would simply visit other establishments and play on their machines should the council’s plans come to fruition. “If you’re serious about reducing gambling,” he added, “it probably wouldn’t be my first point of interest.”
The NSW’s Own Gaming Machine-Related Measures Against Problem Gambling
Although the Lane Cove Council is planning to move forward with an approach that seeks to completely get rid of pokie machines, at least within venues that belong to the council, the government of New South Wales has instead opted to improve how patrons engage with gaming machines as a whole through a new system dubbed “carded play.” Also known as cashless gaming, the technology makes it impossible for patrons to use cash while playing electronic gambling machines. Instead, they must use player cards or dedicated smartphone apps, which come with a deposit limit feature, allow players to monitor their spending, make self-exclusion simple to enforce, and generally offer ways to keep one’s gambling in check.
It is currently in its trial stages, and as previously reported by Casino Guardian, testing has not gone without complications. Earlier this month, The Star Entertainment Group was forced to shut down its electronic gaming machines when upgrades related to carded play caused performance issues. The problem was resolved a few days later.
Besides carded play, the NSW has also mandated that large venues operating 20+ machines will need to employ a Responsible Gambling Officer who will monitor the gaming floor, look for signs of problem gambling, and take action when a client is indeed found to be struggling with potential gambling-related issues. This new piece of legislation is already in force and it came into effect on July 1st.
- Author
Daniel Williams
