- COMMENT
- National
- Queensland
This was published 7 years ago
Why Woolworths' poker machine position is a problem for punters
By Andrew Bartlett
Revelations that Coles is being stonewalled by Woolworths and pokie machine manufacturers from trying to introduce $1 bet limits for pokie machines gives Australians concerned about the effects of gambling addiction a clear choice this Christmas.
Australia has more pokie machines per person than any other country in the world, and we put $12 billion into them each year. Close to half of this money lost to pokie machines comes from problem gamblers.
Australia has more pokie machines per person than any other country in the world, and we put $12 billion into them each year.Credit: Bloomberg
Our pokie machines are specifically designed to stimulate the brain in a way that leads to addiction, their effects on the brain similar to that of cocaine. Problem gambling has strong links to fraud, theft, poor mental health, suicide, family breakdown, homelessness, and domestic violence.
In Australia, there are no low-intensity machines that minimise bets, contrasting with several other jurisdictions such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The high stakes of betting up to $10 a spin entice users and cultivate addiction.
In the United States, high-intensity machines are generally limited to casinos. In Australia, Coles and Woolworths dominate the industry with high-intensity machines in their hotel chains.
It's very easy for an Australian to quickly lose vast sums of money on the typical pokie machine. Where a $10 maximum bet applies and the spin rate is unregulated, a gambler could expect to lose $1200 an hour. Low-intensity machines, with $1 bet limits and a $20 load-up maximum, can limit that loss to about $120 an hour.
I commended Coles for taking steps towards $1 bet limits. They wrote to five key pokie machine manufacturers asking them for help to reconfigure pokie machines to cap bets at $1.
All five of the pokie machine manufacturers Coles wrote to declined to participate in the trial.
Woolworths has sided with pokie machine manufacturers and made it clear it will not consider $1 bet limits. Australian families this Christmas will suffer financial hardship, family breakdown and even family violence because of Woolworths and the industry's cold-heartedness and fixation with profit.
Eighty-eight per cent of recreational gamblers already spend less than a dollar a spin. One-dollar bets won't affect the average punter but will definitely save families and reduce crime.
The only conclusion to draw from Woolworths' and the industry's aversion to low-cost reform is they want to continue to be free to exploit addiction at the cost of Australian lives, livelihoods and families.
The Labor, Liberal and National parties have dithered around the edges when it comes to gambling reform at both state and federal levels. They gladly accept donations from casino and gambling licensees rather than act in the interest of ordinary Australian families.
Australian families this Christmas will suffer financial hardship, family breakdown and even family violence because of Woolworths and the industry's cold-heartedness and fixation with profit.
The Greens, along with Nick Xenophon and Andrew Wilkie, have consistently stood up against this multi-billion dollar industry. The Greens don't take money from gambling or casino licensees and advocate strongly for $1 bet limits.
Federal and state governments should get behind Coles and support $1 maximum bets.
Woolworths should be rightly condemned for their callous commitment to exploiting addiction for profit at the expense of Australian families.
Law reform in Queensland is needed if Coles' push for increased product safety has a chance of succeeding.
Under current Queensland law, the only people who can service or alter poker machine designs are the five machine manufacturers who are currently refusing to modify the machines to limit them to $1 betting.
Those five companies don't want to act because of greed and because they don't think anyone will make them. If Queensland doesn't change this law, the collusion of these five companies will prevent poker machine reform. With Woolworths cheering from the sidelines.
The Queensland government should legislate in the new year to support this harm-minimisation initiative by Coles.
Woolworths and pokie machine manufacturers should hang their head in shame for fighting reform that would reduce family breakdown, crime, suicide and domestic violence in Queensland. Consumers face a clear choice this Christmas.
Andrew Bartlett is a former Queensland senator and the convenor of the Queensland Greens.