‘Will save lives’: Former gambling addicts call for pokie limits
An anti-gambling campaigner and a mother who wasted $500,000 on poker machines is calling on all states and territories to impose $100 daily limits.
“This simple act will literally save lives,” said Kate Seselja.
“When I first sat in front of these machines, I didn’t know anything about the dangers of these machines. I thought I was playing ‘games’ in a safe environment.
“I had no idea that poker machines were as addictive as cocaine or that they had such financially and emotionally damaging potential.”
Ms. Seselja co-chairs the Gambling Harm Experience Experts group, which consists of people with gambling addictions.
The mother of six spent $500,000 on slots over 15 years.
GHLEE forces all states and territories to impose loss limits of $100 per day, $500 per month and $5000 per year.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the Tasmanian government had expressed interest in $100-a-day and $5000-a-year limits in 2022, but had since backtracked and “paused reform” to “work with other states on a pre-commitment solution”.
GHLEE launched a petition and campaign in Canberra this week.
“More than three million Australians are affected by the harm of gambling each year, and we know first-hand how gambling addiction can lead to consequences such as incarceration, family breakdown, domestic violence, bankruptcy and even death,” Ms Seselja said.
“Our government needs to put people before profits.”
Gambling helplines
In the online petition, Ms. Seselja describes playing poker machines for the first time in 1997, when she was 18 years old. His journey resulted in the loss of half a million dollars due to a suicide attempt.
Independent NSW state MP Helen Dalton also backed the campaign.
“I strongly support GHLEE’s campaign for loss limits to be mandatory on every poker machine in Australia,” he said.
“Too many lives are being destroyed by this addictive and often fatal product. Governments must take action and protect Australians from this industry.”
“Currently, the poker machine industry knowingly destroys innocent lives as part of its business model. This is a disgrace and must stop.”
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows lottery remains the most common form of gambling among Australians; one survey estimated that 26 percent of adults purchase a ticket each month.
About 7 percent of men and 5 percent of women play poker machines each month, according to government data.
The latest NSW Liquor and Gaming Authority data shows the machines generate $1 million in revenue every hour across the state. The state’s 88,000 machines generated $2.3 billion in revenue from April to June of this year.
NSW had the highest per capita losses in slots, with an average loss of $1,260 in 2022/23.
Tasmania has the lowest average losses per capita, with the NT, Queensland and national average losing around $770 per year, while South Australia, WA and the ACT lose $100 to $200 less.
WA is the only state or territory that restricts poker machines to the immediate interior of the casino.
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