Pokies `economy killers’
BY DANIELLE BLEWETT
03 Mar, 2010 09:01 AM
PREMIER David Bartlett’s Government is guilty of “premature exaltation” in its enthusiasm for Tasmania’s $90-million- a-year poker machine revenue, says South Australia’s anti- gambling senator, Nick Xenophon.
In Hobart yesterday for the Our Island Our Voices alliance, Senator Xenophon released a survey of 1000 Tasmanians that showed eight out of 10 want tighter regulations on the state’s poker machines, including a single bet limit of a dollar.
His views about Tasmania’s poker machine regulations had been overstated by Premier David Bartlett, Senator Xenophon said.
“Tasmania has the least worst of bad (poker machine) regimes only because there are no automatic tellers in your pubs and clubs,” Senator Xenophon said.
“Your Government is turning its eye to jackpot junkies and is suffering from premature exaltation.
“Poker machines are an economy killer and not a job creator.
“Gambling taxes are fool’s gold because 50 per cent of losses come from problem gamblers.”
Spokesman for the Federal Group Brendan Blomeley said there was no evidence to support the claim that smaller bet limits would help problem gamblers.
