Video Poker 247
- Australia’s Gambling Issues
More than $4 billion a year is brought into Australia’s state and
territory governments through the use of the pokies’ taxes. This is a
substantial amount of money, and many in Australia support the removal
of all video poker and gambling machines so that they can lessen the
degree of gambling addiction that is starting to form in their
country.
However, in a move that shocked many, the NSW Government announced
that they were planning on strengthening the presence of gambling in
the country by allowing their pubs to offer Keno. This comes just on
the heels of the South Sydney Leagues Club’s announcement that they
will be removing 160 of their video poker machines. The move will cost
the club more than $7 million in yearly revenue, but they say that it
is worth it as the effect that they are having on the community is
devastating.
People don’t like the video poker games, they know that they are a
blight on their community and want them removed. That is why it is so
shocking that the government would be looking for ways to increase the
presence of gambling in the state instead of removing it. Recent
reports show that more than 220,000 Australians are addicted to
gambling, and this does not include the past generation who is no
longer able to afford it – and have already lost everything.
The Productivity Commission's 1999 report said that 42.3% of the
revenues from the video poker machines came from problem gamblers and
experts say that this number has only increased, not decreased. More
recent reports suggest that this number has increased to at least half
of all wins coming from those with an addiction. One tenth of all of
the video poker machines in the world are currently located in
Australia, and residents say that this has to end here.
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November 2007 Archive
