The local media Canberratimes reported that nearly 80% of the Canberrans supported a major reform in the gaming industry, which seeks to introduce a restriction on gaming machine expenditure to help problem gamblers.
The results from a recently conducted poll regarding gaming issues pointed out that most of the Canberrans stand firmly behind the proposed gaming reform that aims to introduce tough measures on gambling. Nearly 80% of the locals voted for mandatory pre-commitment and $1 spins for poker machines. The new rules are supposed to decrease the number of punters and prevent players spending more money than they originally intended.
The players will be able to set a maximum limit on losses before they start to play. Currently, the players do not have any limit to comply with. The stricter rules are required by the locals as a precondition of their support for poker machines.
On 27th July, the major polling center in Australia ReachTEL conducted a research on the public opinion regarding the Canberra Gambling Reform Alliance. The matter seems to have the power to shift the political preferences among the locals, as the Greens started to gain momentum in their campaign supporting the tighter gaming rules on pokies. This seems to fit perfectly in time, as the government is said to introduce the new gaming rules by the end of the week.
The political party of the Greens suggests a decrease in the number of poker machines with 1,000 by 2020. Currently, there are 5,000 registered poker machines, which are operating in the Australian capital Canberra. But it seems that the locals are more worried about the rules than the number of the poker machines.
Anglicare chief executive Jeremy Halcrow commented that the supporters of the gaming reform are people of different age and political view. This means that the locals want change in the gaming rules regardless of their political preferences, referring to it as a matter of social health. Anglicare is an organization, seeking to prevent Australian society from social ills.
Mr. Halcrow added that the Canberrans, who polled in the research expressed their view that the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) should assign the watchdog task to an independent regulatory body. He concluded that the responsible gambling measures in Australia should be improved, pointing out to other countries with a regulated market as an example.
The major overhaul in the Canberra Gambling Reform Alliance aims to impose tighter rules on the poker machines. In a poll conducted only a couple of days ago by ReachTEL, the majority of the Canberrans supported the introduction of the tougher rules, fearing that the poker machines can unleash social ills.
Now, the officials need to strike a happy medium and introduce adequate responsible gaming rules, without damaging its casino industry, as it speeds up the economy’s growth.
