Victorian councils urge Andrews government crack down on pokies
Councils have revealed tough new pokie laws they’d like the Andrews government to act on to reduce harm from electronic gaming machines.
Victoria
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Victorian councils have united to call on the Andrews government to crack down on pokies, urging the state to introduce universal cashless gaming and to set up a fund helping venues get rid of machines.
At the Municipal Association of Victoria’s state council on Friday, a significant majority of local government leaders passed a motion asking the state government to reduce harm from electronic gaming machines.
The successful motion called for a mandatory cashless precommitment scheme similar to the one being introduced in Tasmania and being rolled out at Crown Melbourne.
Cashless gaming was also a major election issue in New South Wales this year, with former premier Dom Perrottet pledging to introduce it across the state.
MAV also called for a state government fund to support venues who want to get rid of pokies but would struggle with the financial burden of exiting the industry.
In 2018, venues were asked to lock themselves into long-term licences and these came into effect last year.
The expensive licences mean many operators who want to get out of the industry are unable to do so without a significant financial cost.
Among those affected is St Kilda Football club, who want to move on from their machines at Moorabbin but were refused by the state when they asked for support to do this.
The MAV proposal for a new fund would provide a way for venues like St Kilda to pay off their licences and exit the industry.
Another key feature of the motion was a requirement that all gaming venues be closed between 2am and 6am daily.
It comes a day after Legalise Cannabis MP David Ettershank told parliament that operators within the boundaries of Brimbank Council appeared to be working together to get around government regulations.
“The Gambling Regulation Act requires gaming machines in hotels and clubs to be shut down for 4 hours each day,” he said on Thursday
“This mandatory break is aimed at protecting vulnerable people from gambling-related harm.
“However, venues in Brimbank are seemingly colluding to circumvent the law by staggering their opening and closing times to ensure that people can keep gambling 24 hours a day by simply moving between proximate venues.”
Mr Ettershank also asked the government if it would consider introducing mandatory closing hours of midnight to 10am.
The City of Brimbank has the highest figure of any local government area for pokies losses, with $1.29bn estimated to have been lost over a decade.
The association will now do further work on developing an official policy.
Originally published as Victorian councils urge Andrews government crack down on pokies
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