The Australian Pokie Reform

There has been so much talk about pokies recently and I have been trying so hard not to get involved and add my two cents however I have come to a point where I can contain myself no long, plus I think that with everything that is out there it maybe useful for a summary because it would be difficult for many to stay on top of everything.

So there are a few different hot topics around at the moment, all being openly discussed by parliament and all designed to reduce the amount of money Australians spend on the pokies. It has been long believe that Australians in particular use pokies excessively and often get into financial trouble. The pressure is now on for the Australian government to step in and make the necessary changes required to reduce this to a more acceptable level.

The main topic is the possible limiting of bets to a maximum of a dollar. This is being pushed by Andrew Wilki (the leader and instigator behind the whole pokie reform) and it looks likely he will get his way. The cunning MP has stood firm on this one particular change and is currently requesting it be written in stone to be implemented by 2014.

One other hot pokie topic right now is the possible introduction of pre paid cards, though it has not really grabbed much traction since its original introduction it is still on the cards as a solution.

What us my take on all this?
I will be frank and to the point, I don’t think any of the pokie reform will succeed. The Australian sporting and Government institution benefit way to much for them to want to damage their potential earnings. For example last reporting was that the Victorian government made 2.6 billion dollars in the last financial year off pokies alone.
As for sporting institutions, many may not be aware however the majority of Australians sport teams funding is generated from pokies.

So what does all this mean for online pokies?
Well obviously this will push more people to play Australian pokies online, there are already so many restrictions and bans in place to make the pokie player feel like an outcast I personally feel for many the bet limiting on its own will become the straw that breaks the camels back for people to make the transition to online play.

I will try and update more as new news is released.