Reduce the negative impacts of poker machines and promote responsible gambling.
Reason supports:
- removing all EGMs by 2026 via a buy-back scheme to significantly reduce harm and social costs
- reversing the Gambling Regulation Amendment (Gaming Machine Arrangements) Act 2017 that provides a 20-year entitlement for clubs and hotels from 2022
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maintaining harm reduction measures post-COVID and throughout the EGM removal process including but not limited to:
- no EGMs allowed in public areas
- removal of signage directing people to EGM locations
- minimise the comfort of EGM environments to discourage engagement
- no promotions to encourage EGM spending such as free alcohol
- clear notices on every EGM showing how much money has been lost on each EGM
- reduce maximum EGM bet per spin from $5 to $1
- daily maximum EFTPOS withdrawal limit of $100
- reduce the maximum daily trading hours of EGM venues
- reduce the density of EGMs per electorate
- apply EGM caps on regions that currently have no caps (ie: Melbourne CBD, Docklands, Southbank)
- incentives to buy-back EGMs offset by a reduction in the social costs of gambling borne by the government plus diversion of EGM revenue to the government from other expenditures; long-term planning to decouple the Victorian government from EGM revenue with a focus on sporting clubs.
- penalties scaled using percentages relative to the size of a venue and the number of EGMs it has.
- the lobbying activities of pokies providers and their influence on government transparent.
- pre-commitment systems, which enable EGM players to decide how much time and/or money they want to spend gambling on EGMs, are suggested as a way for players to take control of their gambling.