Wesley Mission says the NSW Government’s gambling reform package falls short by leaving account-based gambling voluntary and delaying action on late-night poker machine harm.
Wesley Mission CEO, Rev Stu Cameron, who served on the Minns Government’s Independent Panel on Gaming Reform as a harm minimisation expert, while welcoming some good steps forward in the reforms announced by Minister Harris, says voluntary measures will not provide the protections people experiencing gambling harm need.
If the Government accepts that account-based gambling can reduce harm then it should be mandatory. The people most at risk should not have to opt in to being protected.
“Voluntary account-based gambling leaves the door wide open for people experiencing serious harm to continue gambling without the safeguards we know can and will make a difference. Not only that, recent media reporting as well as legal action taken by AUSTRAC and stark warnings from the Crime Commissioner tells us tens of millions of dollars, proceeds of crime, are likely being laundered through suburban cash-based pokies ”
Rev Cameron says the Government also has the evidence it needs to extend the mandatory poker machine shutdown from midnight to 10am.
The Government acknowledges that higher-risk gambling occurs in the early hours of the morning. The response cannot be another review. It should be action.
“There is no compelling case for poker machines to be operating at two, three or four in the morning. Turning them off does not shut down the night-time economy. A vibrant night-time economy is people, restaurants, live music, arts and entertainment. It is not a room of poker machines operating into the early hours of the morning, draining the pockets and bank accounts of punters when they are most vulnerable.”
The call comes after the City of Sydney unanimously backs stronger poker machine reforms including powering down machines between midnight and 10am, joining Cities of Newcastle, Wagga Wagga, Lismore and others.
The City of Sydney sits at the heart of Australia’s largest night-time economy. Its support sends a powerful message that protecting people from gambling harm and having a thriving night-time economy are not mutually exclusive,” says Rev Cameron.
“If Australia’s leading global city can back a midnight shutdown, then there is no reason communities across metropolitan and regional NSW should be exposed to poker machines operating through the most dangerous hours of the night.
“Powering down poker machines between midnight and 10am is a simple, practical circuit-breaker. We know the risk is higher late at night. We know people are being harmed. It is time to act.”
Rev Cameron says the package contains worthwhile reforms including a desperately needed statewide exclusion register, a reduction in gaming machine entitlements, stronger restrictions on gambling advertising and an additional $20 million for the Responsible Gambling Fund.
We welcome measures that strengthen self-exclusion and reduce gambling harm. These are important reforms and Wesley Mission has long advocated for a single statewide exclusion register. But rather than relying on intrusive facial recognition technology, it should be included in a robust and mandatory account-based play system – one with evidence-based harm minmisation measures built in.”
“Good measures in one part of the system cannot compensate for leaving two of the strongest harm-minimisation protections on the table.
“Mandatory account-based gambling and a midnight to 10am shutdown are practical, evidence-based reforms. NSW should have the courage to implement them. Today moves gambling reform forward. But there is still a long, long way to go to reduce and prevent the epidemic of harm caused by pokies across every community in our state.”