Hitting a nerve
IT seems I’ve hit a nerve with the truth on pokies harm. Two thirds of Tassie pubs and over 95 per cent of clubs don’t have pokies. Pokies create an uneven playing field in the hospitality industry but hold the greatest sway over its representatives. What a shame for the majority of THA members that their whole industry is painted as pro-pokies.
Every statement I make on the topic of pokies is evidence-based and I stand by them all. I will not stop highlighting the harm caused by pokies which is a reality for tens of thousands of Tasmanians. Losses to pokies in Australia is ten times higher than online gambling.
As I say frequently in my public comments, we can also do more to reduce the harm of online gambling, but it shouldn’t be used as a distraction to hide the much bigger pokies problem.
For the record, I have no connection at all, financial or otherwise, to online gambling interests. And quite frankly, it is astonishing to see the pro-pokies lobby in this state throwing around accusations of vested interests or cosy arrangements for financial backers. Glass houses?
Meg Webb MLC, Hobart.
Letters to the Editor Examiner 2 May 2020
