VICTORIAN Nationals leader Peter Walsh has slammed State Government pokies reforms as disproportionate, “devastating” and a “sledgehammer” on one section of the gaming industry.
Premier Daniel Andrews last week said gaming venues across the region would face strong reforms next year, including new protections on poker machine play.
The changes will make carded play mandatory across Victoria by the end of the year and introduce limits on how much a patron could load into a machine.
The limit, now $1000, will be capped at $100, while the reforms will place pre-commitment limits on patrons’ play.
They will also slow the spin rate of all new electronic gaming machines to three seconds per game.
Alongside the reforms to the machines, gaming areas in Victorian venues will be forced to close between 4am and 10am.
Mr Walsh, the Member for Murray Plains, said Mr Andrews had used a “sledgehammer to make yet another industry-devastating decision”.
“Do people have a problem with gambling?” Mr Walsh said.
“About 17 per cent do, according to some of the latest figures, and that’s a lot of people.
“And some of those have massive problems.
“But there’s no context in this decision, in many of the decisions, made by Daniel Andrews.”
Mr Walsh said pokies were not the biggest gambling black hole in Victoria, which instead belonged to sports and racing betting, with losses in 2021-22 totalling $2.57 billion.
He said pokies hit $2.23 billion. Lotteries and casinos added another $1.43 billion.
“Today in Victoria, racing and sports betting has been directed to provide warnings with every advertisement, much the same as cigarettes, and that’s appropriate,” Mr Walsh said.
“But Daniel Andrews seems determined to isolate just one section of the gambling industry and destroy it, and everything that involves.”
Murray Downs Golf and Country Club chief executive Greg Roberts, who also oversees the Swan Hill Club, said he was surprised by the announcement of the reforms.
“We were surprised because there had been no industry consultations and we are waiting to see the details,” he said.
“Until we see the exact details of this is going to be implemented, and what the likely impact is going to be, we are going to just wait to see what that will look like.
“Our position hasn’t changed, our clubs have always been dedicated to providing safe, responsible gaming for those people that want to participate.”
Mr Andrews said the new reforms would make Victoria’s gambling-harm protections the best in Australia.
“These reforms will provide the strongest gambling harm preventions and anti-money laundering measures in Australia,” he said.
“We owe it to all Victorians to take this stance and help those experiencing harm turn their lives around.”
See also: Gambling on the rise, says Anglicare
