Reports the State Government is considering backing down from implementing a nation-leading cashless pre-commitment card for poker machines is very concerning. This would be the first of its kind in Australia and set a precedent for all states and territories. Its importance cannot be overstated.
The fact next to no progress has been made since the card was announced two years ago shows the Tasmanian Government was getting cold feet. But commissioning a report to analyse the economic impacts of the cashless card on clubs when the benefits of such a scheme have already been thoroughly researched shows how beholden they are to the gambling industry.
Current poker machine arrangements in Tasmania are taking a shocking human toll. Thousands of addicts are losing more than they can afford, the result often being poverty, homelessness, relationship breakdown, ill health and even suicide. If the Tasmanian Government were to walk away it would show they don’t give a toss about the dreadful harm inflicted by poker machines. It never ceases to amaze me how often it’s the most sanctimonious people who turn out to be the ones that care the least about humanity?
This is a watershed moment for poker machine reform, not just in Tasmania, but the whole country. The State Government must not buckle to the demands of the gambling industry. To do so would be a disgraceful betrayal of the community and show total disregard to people experiencing poker machine harm.