Peter Hoult says poker machine closures a positive thing amid crisis
Millions of extra dollars from federal government stimulus payments will stay in the pockets of Tasmanian households because poker machines have been closed down due to the coronavirus.
Former Tasmanian Gaming Commission chairman Peter Hoult said venue closures meant that cash that would have gone to pokies would now be spent on other goods and services in the Tasmanian business community.
He said that an uptick in gambling expenditure occurred in 2008-09 when the Rudd Government provided $8.7 billion stimulus payments to lessen the effect of the global financial crisis.
Tasmanians gambled an extra $4 million on the pokies in December and January 2008-09 – a 13 per cent spike.
But with poker machines closed Mr Hoult believes millions of dollars of the Morrison Government’s stimulus will not be lost to the pokies. Mr Hoult said that when he was Commission Chair figures provided at the time by the Liquor and Gaming Branch of Treasury showed a distinct uptick in electronic gaming machine expenditure.
The federal government is providing up to $400 billion of stimulus payments including boosted unemployment benefit, now called JobSeeker, and $750 payments to social security, veteran and other income support recipients.
Mr Hoult said research shows very strongly that those with an addiction to pokies did not move to other forms of gambling when the pokies are not available.
“Overwhelmingly their addiction is to the poker machine experience, not to gambling per se,” he said.
Tasmania has 3485 gaming machines in 97 premises including two casinos which have been closed since March 23. Anti-pokie campaigner and independent Nelson MLC Meg Webb said Tasmanians typically gambled $470,000 a day on poker machines.
“In this state, over $17 million has been saved since pokies closed,” she said.
“That’s money for essentials that is staying in Tasmanian households. That’s money which is available now to support other crucial Tasmanian businesses.
Ms Webb said about half the money being gambled on pokies was from problem gamblers.
“The vast majority of those with gambling problems in Tasmania have pokies as their main issue,” she said. “Seventy nine per cent of people seeking help from Tasmanian gambling support programs have a problem with pokies.
She said that reports of growth in online gambling were concerning.
“But prior to COVID-19 the number of people who use online gambling was much, much smaller than the number who use poker machines,” Ms Webb said.
“Overall, the harm prevented with pokies closed is a good news story for our community.”
