Hume Council backs Alliance for Gambling Reform campaign

A COUNCIL in Melbourne’s northwest has backed a gambling reform campaign which would put a new limit on pokies bets.

Pokies took more than $106m from punters in Hume in the past financial year.

HUME Council has backed a campaign calling for pokies and sports betting reform.

The council has voted to support the Alliance for Gambling Reform’s push to have the Federal Government introduce legislation that would limit pokies bets to a maximum of $1.

Under the plan, the maximum loss permitted on pokies machines would be $120 per hour.

The Alliance also wants to ban sports betting organisations from advertising on television during G-rated time periods.

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Cr Adem Atmaca said it was important for councils to help minimise the effects of gambling, which often hit the poorest areas of Melbourne hardest.

He labelled the amount of money raked in by Hume’s pokies as “astronomical”.

Hume councillors call for more pokie money to go back into community

During the 2015-16 financial year, Hume’s electronic gaming machines earned more than $106.04 million.

Out of all 79 municipalities in Victoria, Hume’s pokies made the seventh-highest amount.

Brimbank, which adjoins Hume, recorded the top Victorian pokies’ profit of $143.04 million.

Cr Atmaca said that, unfortunately, some problem gamblers would spend money on betting rather than feeding their families.

“I think every human being is against gambling impacting individuals or the community,” he said.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform was aiming to deliver its pokies reform campaign letter to the Federal Government and Opposition before the start of this week.

Gamblers have tipped more than $50 billion into Victoria’s poker machines since their introduction in 1992

The Minister for Human Services Alan Tudge said the Federal Government was “ ... implementing the most significant package of reforms ever put in place by an Australian Government to combat problem gambling, in response to the O’Farrell Review into Illegal Offshore Wagering”.

“The Australian government believes that “click-to-call” is in breach of at least the intent of the Interactive Gambling Act,” Mr Tudge said.

“It will introduce legislation as a priority in the spring sittings to clarify the act and to empower the ACMA to implement civil penalties for breaches of the act.

“As part of the response to the O’Farrell Review, the Government will also be working with the states to introduce significant consumer protections to combat problems caused by online gambling.”

This will include banning the provision of lines of credit and a national self-exclusion register.