Tasmania’s Government introduces spending limit for pokies

The government of Tasmania has announced that it will be implementing spend limits for slot machines. The spend limit also known as the mandatory pre-commitment scheme is a pace-setting initiative in the country that will limit residents of Tasmania to spending AU$5,000 a year at the pokies unless they show proof of financial buoyancy. The initiative, put in place by the Liberal-led government, is part of plans to minimize gambling harm to Tasmanians.

According to a report from Tasmania’s Liquor and Gaming Commission, the system will be in place by 2024. The pre-commitment scheme is a card-based one where players would apply with a valid ID to get one in order to play at the pokies. The card has been preset to AU$100 per day, AU$500 per month and a hard limit of $5000 per year. These limits can be reduced at any time and only increased once the player passes the requirements.

In his statement concerning the initiative, the Deputy Premier of Tasmania, Michael Ferguson told reporters: “The scheme will provide those that are at the most risk of gaming harm with protection, in many cases the best, while having little impact, and I would argue no impact, on recreation or casual gamblers at all.”

“This system that’s been recommended by [the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission] will protect people from losing more money than they can afford to lose,” he added.

The Deputy Premier further stated that though problem gambling is at a relative minimum, with Tasmania’s annual spend on electronic gambling in the last financial year placed at AU$178 million, still the government plans to reduce the danger caused by these addictive machines. He noted that the initiative “will be a model for the rest of the country to follow.”

Several applauses have been coming for the government towards this bold step. A gambling expert associate professor at Monash University, Dr. Charles Livingstone has called the move “a big breakthrough”. According to him, this will help Tasmanians struggling with problem gambling, especially those suffering from poker machine gambling, and overall “getting this harm under control.” He further called for more Australian states and territories to do the same.

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Other praise singers of the move include Independent Nelson MP Meg Webb who sees it as being in the best interest of the state and Tasmanians at large.
Meanwhile Tasmania Hospitality Association (THA), through its CEO Steve Old has vehemently decried the scheme, labelling it as “lies, lies and more lies”. To them, the Liberal Party is reneging on its promise during the 2018 elections not to ban pokies from pubs, clubs and casinos as it will dent their profit with the proposal. He continued: “On any objective measure, today’s backflip is a slap in the face to hotel and pub customers and hardworking small and family businesses in Tasmania — many who are only just recovering after the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.” He went on to add that the scheme will be taking away the rights of Tasmanians to free choice in how they spend their money and get entertainment.

Treasurer Ferguson however added: “I do expect a bit of noise around this issue. And I expect that there’ll be times along the next two years where there will be issues that we have to sort through.”

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