Future Tassie survey: Readers want fewer or no poker machines in Tasmania

The Government has been urged to pull poker machines out of pubs and clubs after a majority of people surveyed said they wanted fewer or no pokies in the state. READ THE EDITORIAL

Mercury readers say they want fewer or no pokies in Tasmania. Picture: Liam Kidston

THE Tasmanian Government has been urged to pull poker machines out of pubs and clubs after a majority of people surveyed said they wanted fewer or no pokies in the state.

About 44 per cent of Mercury readers responding to our Future Tassie survey voted for fewer pokies than presently available while about 35 per cent said there should be none.

EDITORIAL: POKIES MUST BE DEBATED

About 19 per cent of the 1362 respondents said the number in the state was about right and fewer than 2 per cent said there should be more.

Anglicare social action and research manager Meg Webb said the figure was the latest in a series of anti-pokies poll results and was “a mandate for decisive action”.

“Tasmanians do not like poker machines in their local community — they know these machines cause harm and deliver no local benefit,” Ms Webb said.

“The Hodgman Government can clearly place the community first by locating poker machines only in casinos.

“They would be acting in the best interests of the community, supported overwhelmingly by the evidence and aligned with the will of the Tasmanian people.”

A Government spokesman said the Liberals maintained their commitment to removing 150 poker machines throughout the state from 2023.

“The framework the Government has committed to deliver will facilitate a sustainable, well-regulated industry that supports freedom of choice, minimises harm and supports jobs,” he said.

Labor went to last year’s state election vowing to have pokies quarantined to casinos but lost to the Liberals, who received the backing of much of the hospitality industry.

An Opposition spokesman said: “Unfortunately we did not win the election and after a considerable period of silence it is now up to the Liberal Government to reveal the details of its poker machine policy.”

The gaming regulator’s latest report showed Tasmanians sunk more than $175 million into poker machines in the last financial year, including more than $19 million in Glenorchy alone.

Federal Group, which holds the monopoly licence for the state’s pokies, nearly doubled its profits in the same period due to a one-off sale of core assets.

Company executive general manager of corporate affairs Daniel Hanna said Tasmanians had already cast their vote on pokies policy in last year’s state election.