Mercury Online – Eric Abetz distances himself from Tasmanian government’s ‘deferral’ of pokies precommitment card
Mercury Online | 16 October 2026
By Rob Inglis
Eric Abetz distances himself from Tasmanian government’s ‘deferral’ of pokies precommitment card
Treasurer Eric Abetz has stressed it wasn’t his decision to “defer” a reform that had been hailed as an effective way of combating poker machine harms.
Treasurer Eric Abetz has sought to distance himself from the state government’s decision to “defer” its proposed mandatory precommitment card for electronic gaming, which had been hailed as a nation-leading harm minimisation measure.
Mr Abetz addressed the topic when giving evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into the government’s poker machine reforms.
The veteran conservative’s seeming reluctance to wear responsibility for the card backdown follows repeated criticism of the decision by his factional ally, Bass MP Michael Ferguson, who originally championed the policy when he was Treasurer.
Under the card system, poker machine players would have been required to obtain a cashless card with set precommitment levels, including loss limits.
Mr Abetz said the “operational complexities” of card-based gaming would have delayed the rollout of the full range of reforms and increased costs “significantly” – but he would not confirm if he himself had voiced opposition to the move in Cabinet prior to becoming Treasurer in 2025.
“At the 2024 election, I was a lowly candidate, and I was not part of the government and decision-making for that,” he said.
“I was then elected, absolutely, and the Premier and the then Minister for Finance, Minister [Nic] Street, made certain announcements …”
When challenged by committee chair, Greens Hobart MLC Cassy O’Connor, Mr Abetz conceded he was a member of the Cabinet that had supported the decision prior to the announcement being made.
“Cabinet solidarity … applies, and that is what transpired,” he said.
Mr Abetz said it had been his view that pokies should be restricted to casinos, RSLs, and sports clubs because “clubs often have a greater capacity to look after their members”.
“The Tasmanian Parliament has allowed for poker machines in pubs, clubs and the casino. While we may want them banned from pubs and clubs, or indeed altogether, they remain a lawful form of entertainment,” he told the committee.
“As a result, people have made significant investment decisions based on the legislation which passed the parliament.”
Despite taking the precommitment card policy to the 2024 state election, the Liberals announced in November of that year that they would “defer progress” on the measure and instead focus on rolling out a suite of other harm minimisation initiatives, acknowledging the “complexities and costs” of a card-based system.
Deputy Premier Guy Barnett was treasurer at the time of the announcement.
The Greens, along with independent crossbenchers such as Nelson MLC Meg Webb and Clark MP Kristie Johnston, condemned the move, saying the government was captive to the hospitality industry.
The remaining reforms include a mandatory seven-hour shutdown period for electronic gaming, limits on ATM withdrawals within venues, and a stronger self-exclusion program involving the use of facial recognition technology.
At an earlier hearing of the parliamentary inquiry late last month, Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission chair Jenny Cranston became emotional when speaking about the postponement of the card system.
“I would have thought that it would have been something to be really proud of,” she said, before telling the committee she was “going to cry”.
In a submission to the inquiry, Hospitality Tasmania said the precommitment card regime could not be delivered and therefore would have protected “no-one”.
