The state government’s decision to introduce a Community Interest Bill for applications for new gaming machine licences is an excellent step in a positive direction.
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No one would dispute that there are genuine social issues relating to people abusing gaming machines.
To be fair, that’s an issue intrinsically linked with gambling worldwide.
However, in Tasmania, there does appear to be a concentration of gaming machine venues in pubs and clubs in lower socio-economic regions.
That’s because there is more likely to be a pub or club in those regions to begin with.
Under existing laws, there is no scope for the Liquor and Gaming Commission to take into account community interest when making a decision on an application for a new gaming venue.
There has been a growing chorus of discontent regarding gaming machines in Tasmania for some time, mostly led by Denison Independent MHR Andrew Wilkie and the Tasmanian Greens.
The issue came to a head earlier this month following a report by Anglicare that showed the impact of poker machines in various regions of the state, particularly the southern region of Glenorchy, which already has more than 270 machines. There are plans to increase that number to around 300.
The report showed that one of those poker machines reaps close to $74,500 from the community.
The new government Bill will now give members of the community and community groups the opportunity to have a say prior to any new licences are granted to a venue.
Under the terms of the Bill, a community interest test will be developed.
The government says the test will take into account factors such as the socio-economic profile of the region in question, an estimate how much a machine user is likely to spend, and how the venue in question plans to provide a responsible gaming environment.
To date, the government’s proposal has won support from both the industry – namely the Federal Group – and the Greens, who described it as “a good first step”.
It should be anyone’s right to decide whether they want to be able to gamble or not. That’s free will.
But there always should be protections put in place to protect those most vulnerable and this bill makes positive steps towards providing those protections.