According to new research, the more money people lose gambling, the greater their risk of developing gambling problems – even at relatively low levels of losses.
AAP/Julian Smith
Australians seem uniquely vulnerable to the siren call of poker machines. Here are 15 reasons that suggest why this is so, what impact it has, and what can be done about it.
The level of contributions made by clubs to community purposes is low as a proportion of poker machine revenue.
Michael Coghlan
Some clubs provide genuine benefits to their communities. Unfortunately, clubs have developed significant poker machine dependency – an average of about 60% of total revenue.
Why are pokies so attractive? And why do we spend so much on them?
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
The basic characteristics of pokies, combined with constantly refined game features, provide a stimulus to the brain that, in many cases, leads to a form of addiction.
Those concerned with the growing harms of online gambling will be disappointed with the terms of reference of a new Australian review.
Reuters/Bobby Yip
At least 75% of those with a gambling problem have it because of poker machines in clubs or pubs. Yet we see little concern from the government about this group.
Gambling ads are everywhere professional sport is played, from players’ guernseys to stadium displays and on television.
AAP/Renee McKay
The Queensland government has recently implemented changes to poker machine regulation under the banner of “red tape reduction”. Some of these are relatively minor at first glance; others have more obvious…
The proposed Aquis casino in Cairns is likely to be underwritten by the poker machine losses of local residents.
AAP/Aquis Great Barrier Reef
The proposed Aquis casino resort in Cairns is edging ever closer to regulatory approval. The development is touted by proponents as a “man-made wonder of the world” and will cost billions to develop. The…
The introduction of a $1 maximum bet for poker machines, as has been proposed in Victoria, might not end problem gambling, but it would certainly reduce its harmful effects.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
The Greens have tabled a bill in the Victorian parliament that would introduce a maximum bet of $1 per spin for the state’s 30,000 poker machines. While the bill is almost certain to fail, the introduction…
The long-held suspicion that high per capita expenditure in poker machine venues leads to high rates of problem gambling can now be confirmed by new research.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
The more money spent per capita on pokies in a venue, the higher the rate of gambling problems in that venue. This is the straightforward conclusion of our research recently published in the journal Addiction…