THE PROBLEM

+ OUR SOLUTION

Think there’s only one Casino in Canberra? Think again.

Pokies venues exist in suburbs across the ACT and there are more pokie machines in ACT than almost anywhere in Australia.

Think Pokies are harmless fun?

ACT has the most dangerous poker machines due to lax regulations over bet limits, accesibility of cash and no pre-commitment on gambling amount.

Gambling harm doesn’t just impact the player…

...but also the people they love most. Research shows 47,000 Canberrans are affected by gambling harm which costs the ACT $214 million each year.

With the current bet limit per spin of $10…

...it is possible for players to lose $1500 in just ONE HOUR. The introduction of a $1 bet limit would reduce this loss to $100 per hour.

..BUT WE CAN FIX THIS

The CGRA calls on political parties to commit to the following set of policy reforms if they form Government after the 2020 ACT Election.

Reduce the number of poker machines in ACT to 2500 by the year 2025

ACT has the second highest density of poker machines in Australia (14.8 per 1000 adults). A community attitudes survey conducted in 2017 found 61% of respondents wanted a decrease in the number of poker machines in Canberra.

Limit access to cash in poker machine venues across both ATMs and EFTPOs to a daily limit of $250

In 2017, Access Canberra released a report that indicated that there was widespread use of EFTPOS in clubs for the purpose of circumventing the ATM withdrawal limits. ATM limits alone are not enough to prevent gambling harm.

Introduce a bet limit of $1 on all poker machines in the Territory and limit loadup to $100

ACT & NSW have bet limits more than double other Australian states and territories. This $10 bet limit means players can lose $1500 per hour.

Introduce mandatory pre-commitment in all venues and ban poker machines operation between 2.00am and 10.00am each day

Pre-commitment is a proven method at reducing gambling harm. It enables player to ensure they stay within pre-set limitis so they are not at risk of harmful levels of spending.

Increase transparency of the community contributions scheme and prioritise actions that reduce gambling harm

The current scheme does not have a public health approach and must be overhauled to ensure the community contributions are distributed to mitigate harms from problem gambling.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL POLICY STATEMENT

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