Call to delay switching pokies back on following three-month shutdown

POKER machines, due to be switched back on this Friday, should be left off, according to independent MLC Meg Webb.

But Premier Peter Gutwein firmly rejected the idea, accusing Ms Webb of wanting a nanny state.

Ms Webb said Tasmanians had saved more than $42 million in gambling losses since COVID-19 restrictions closed pokie venues on March 23.

Evidence from other states has shown that when pokies were switched back on, a significant spike in gambling losses quickly followed and Ms Webb has called on the Government to delay reopening poker machine gaming areas until it can be demonstrated that it would not be detrimental to the state’s social and economic recovery.

“Every cent and dollar of government stimulus payments and hard-earned wages must be available to go through the tills of local Tasmanian businesses rather than down the gullets of pokies,” she said.

“I am calling on Premier Peter Gutwein to do the responsible thing by Tasmanian families and local businesses and keep the state’s pokies switched off, as a matter of urgency.”

Mr Gutwein said he would not support any delay to reopening pokies, because the majority of Tasmanians gambled responsibly.

“Only 0.6 per cent of Tasmanians are problem gamblers,” he said.

“I’m not going to tell people what they should spend their money on. Obviously Ms Webb has a different view, she wants a nanny state. I’m prepared to accept that Tasmanians can take responsibility for themselves.”

Ms Webb said evidence from NSW – the first state to restart pokies earlier this month – showed that even with 40 per cent of machines turned off to meet social distancing requirements, pokies losses had skyrocketed.

“The industry’s own data reveals the first seven days of June saw NSW hotels record a shocking 31.3 per cent rise above June last year and 31.3 per cent above March,” she said.

“We can reasonably expect a similar result if pokies are switched back on here.”

She also called on the Government to bring forward the next Social and Economic Impact Study of Gambling in Tasmania (SEIS), develop initiatives to encourage and support pubs and clubs to transition their business to a poker machine-free model, invest additional funding for new gambling support programs, and commit to legislating evidence-based, expert-recommended harm minimisation measures, including slower spin speeds, lower maximum bet limits, lower maximum jackpots and shorter opening hours.

Mr Gutwein said the SEIS would cover the COVID-19 period.

Tim Martain Mercury Newspaper 23 June 2020

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