SBS Insight tonight: Clubland, pokies reform

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Clubs and anti-gambling campaigners are in a bitter fight over poker machines.

Under proposed reforms, gamblers will have to set a spending limit before playing the pokies.

Clubs say the change will threaten their very survival, taking a big chunk out of their revenue. And that, in turn, would impact the services they offer communities.

But those supporting reform say the changes will only affect high-risk problem gamblers, and most Aussie punters won’t be affected. And they say clubs – which enjoy tax breaks – aren’t channelling enough of their poker machine money back into the community.

Insight brings together two key players spearheading each side of the debate – Independent MP Andrew Wilkie and Anthony Ball from Clubs Australia – as well as ordinary club-goers and gambling experts to examine what’s at stake.
 

Meet the Guests

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  Andrew Wilkie

  Andrew Wilkie is the Independent Member for Denison in Tasmania and an advocate for poker machine reform. In September last year, Andrew signed an agreement with Prime Minister Julia Gillard for the introduction of a national, mandatory pre-commitment system by 2014. This will require poker machine players to set limits on the amount of money they’re prepared to lose. 

  
  
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  Anthony Ball

  Anthony Ball is the Executive Director of Clubs Australia, the national association for clubs. Clubs Australia is leading the ‘Won’t Work, Will Hurt’ campaign and says mandatory pre-commitment won’t help problem gamblers, but will hurt thousands of clubs and the communities they support.
  
   
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  Betty Con Walker

  Betty is an economist and former New South Wales Treasury official. She is also the author of Casino Clubs NSW. Betty says the bulk of poker machine profits do not go to community groups and sport sponsorship as most clubs claim.

  
  

  
  
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  Danny Robinson

  Danny Robinson is the Chief Executive of St George Leagues Club in New South Wales and says the cost of implementing mandatory pre-commitment technology could force his club to shut its doors. The club has 416 poker machines which it relies on for about 80 per cent of the club’s total revenue.

  
  
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  Sue Pinkerton

  At one stage in her life, Sue Pinkerton spent up to six hours a day, five days a week gambling on poker machines, spending about $65,000 on them. Sue gave evidence to the Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform. She believes if mandatory pre-commitment had been around when she was addicted it probably would have helped limit her spending on the pokies.

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