CAMDEN Haven clubs are working together to lobby the Federal Government on their proposal to order a mandatory pre-commitment (MPC) scheme for poker machines.
The scheme, proposed by Tasmanian Independent Andrew Wilkie after the last federal election and agreed to by Prime Minister Julia Gillard in return for his support to a Labor Government, would see all poker machine players required to register and state their gambling dollar limit. Mr Wilkie said problem gamblers around Australia lose about $5 billion a year on poker machines.
The Select Council on Gambling Reform, chaired by Mr Wilkie, have now met three times with state and federal ministers to work out an agreement and implement legislation on MPC. No agreement has yet been reached, however the members and ministers have agreed to crackdown on the promotion of live betting odds during sports coverage either on TV or at sporting venues.
Locally, clubs are worried about the cost of implementing MPC technology and the ongoing impact the scheme will have on their industry, without evidence-based research on its effectiveness.
Most have indicated a 90 per cent chance, or higher, that their doors will eventually close, based on estimations by auditors KPMG Australia.
It is estimated most clubs will experience a 40 per cent loss in revenue as a result of MPC.
"Recreational punters will not bother with the need to register for mandatory pre-commitment, they simply won't come to clubs anymore. Problem gamblers may set their limits far in excess of what they would normally spend," said Laurieton United Services Club secretary manager Robert Dwyer.
"The club industry, for many years, have been concerned about problem gambling and the impact on families and the community. We have a successful voluntary self exclusion scheme in place. From government statistics, for the last ten years, self exclusion and voluntary harm minimisation policies has reduced problem gambling by half to 0.4 per cent of the gambling population.
"I think the proposal may lead problem gamblers to go underground and gamble in unregulated environments like online, where they can bet on credit, without trained responsible service of gaming staff looking out for their welfare."
The LUSC has revealed that if MPC is made law it would cost $1.5 million to implement the technology on their existing poker machines and lead to a loss in revenue of $1.7 million per year.
The North Haven Bowling Club secretary manager Peter Negus said simply that his club would close as a result of MPC.
“Our biggest fear is we will close and there will be nowhere for our members to go, no bowls, no meeting place, no social and financial support for community and sporting groups,” Mr Negus said.
“What we need is for people to raise their voices, so to speak, and write to our local member Rob Oakeshott. It’s the Independents who may have the final say on this when it comes to the vote. Let Mr Oakeshott know what your club means to you and that you don’t want to lose it for an untested scheme.”
LUSC president Wayne Poll said club members and visitors needed to realise that all the services local clubs provide the community will be lost if the MPC scheme goes ahead as proposed.
“Who’s going to look after the sporting groups, the community organisations and RSL and Legacy members and widows, the people who come to the club for companionship and entertainment? The TAB or online gambling company is not going to support the local Meals on Wheels Service,” Mr Poll said.
LUSC vice president Greg Armstrong said for most gamblers a flutter on the pokies was their preferred form of fun.
“What right have the federal government got to limit people’s on their entertainment?” Mr Armstrong said.
“Some people spend $100 a week playing golf, or shopping, or hundreds of dollars registering for a season of sport, others choose to spend their entertainment dollars gambling - this is their entertainment and 99.6 per cent of gamblers do it responsibly.”
Mr Dwyer said if clubs are no longer viable, community assets such as golf courses and bowling greens would be lost.
In the Hastings district the 12 registered clubs employ 518 people and the industry believes most of these jobs will go - wiping more than $13 million dollars from the local economy in wages, $650,000 in community donations will be lost and the $6.9 million clubs spend on purchasing local goods and services will disappear.
State Member for Port Macquarie Leslie Williams raised the club’s issue in parliament at the end of May, saying MPC would cost clubs dearly.
“Clubs play a significant role in both the social and economic life in my electorate and this state. They are not-for-profit, mutual organisations that for many people are the social hubs and community service centres for regional areas,” said Mrs Williams.
“Each year after the dawn service thousands of people across my electorate head down to their local club for a drink and a meal and to reminisce and swap stories. Under this proposed scheme, that will be a thing of the past,” Mrs Williams told Parliament.
“In fact RSL Clubs as we know them will cease. Veterans would lose their well earned support and ANZAC Day activities.
“No one is denying that more needs to be done to help problem gamblers. But, introducing a mandatory pre-commitment scheme which will see clubs forced to shut up shop, kicking employees out of a job and closing clubs from supporting sporting and community organisations is not the way.
“In the past 10 years, in NSW, the incidence of problem gambling has dropped from 2% to 0.4 % through current harm minimisation measures. In the Port Macquarie area, that equates to around 200 people.
“Problem gamblers will simply set high limits on their pre-commitment cards. There is evidence from trials in Nova Scotia that they set higher than normal limits, then felt compelled to spend up to that limit, therefore increasing the damage.”
The Federal Government have an agreement with Mr Wilkie to deliver mandatory pre-commitment by 2014 and will begin drafting the legislation.
Mr Wilkie said in his poker machine policy that, “Research shows that a mandatory pre-commitment system, for example smart cards, is an effective way to reduce problem gambling on poker machines. The Commonwealth Productivity Commission found problem gamblers commonly experience a lack of control, impulsiveness and periodic regret. Mandatory pre-commitment systems allow players to decide how much money they want to spend before they start playing and those feelings take over.
“We’re still working out the best pre-commitment technology to use, but the one thing that is not up for negotiation is your right to privacy. The only difference is problem gamblers will have a choice about how much money they want to lose on the machines. It’s your money and your choice how you spend it. A pre-commitment system will make sure problem gamblers get to make that choice.”
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