Online pokies are a political gamble

[BingoT]

Online pokies are a political gamble


YOU wonder about a sudden push to legalise online poker in Australia when our annual gambling losses are nudging $20 billion.

Sure, government rake-offs from an open slather on online betting could lift Prime Minister Rudd out of the mining tax mire.

But when it is easy to lose $1500 an hour on the poker machines, governments federal and state will remain under pressure to impose new gambling restrictions ... such as $1 pokie games or cheques for winnings over $300.

Even without new betting options regular poker machine players spend up to $8000 a year.

The Goss government (with subsequent regrets) introduced poker machines in Queensland after winning the 1989 election.

These days the number of poker machines in Queensland is capped at 47,000 and $50 and $100 notes cannot be fed into cash acceptors.

PM Rudd promised to crank up the attack on poker machines during the 2007 election campaign.

But with NSW and Victoria addicted to pokie taxes the Rudd plan stayed on the backburner.

Shame about the effects of problem gambling such as bankruptcy, crime, depression, relationship breakdown or suicide -- or that so-called community benefits when costs from problem gambling were deducted from tax revenue are rated as high as $11 billion a year.

Club revenue could be slashed by 30 per cent if a maximum $1 bet were slapped on poker machines.
Peter Cameron
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/...n-opinion.html

[lewisjohn79]

There are various thing which are injurious to human health and wealth.But these are beneficial for govt.'s wealth.You can take the example of tobacco.So its necessary to have some restriction on poker machines for the interest of people.