Stop Predatory Gambling
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Apr
19
One of the world’s experts speaks out on electronic gambling machines
by Les
Dr. Tim Falkiner, one of the world’s foremost experts on electronic gambling machines, is interviewed on Australian radio as the predatory gambling debate dominates the national agenda in that country. “Pokies” is the term used by Australians to describe electronic gambling machines. Click on this link to listen to the interview.
the fight ahead
Listening to the discussion in Australia makes it clear why this fight matters in the U.S. I think we’ll see the public health community start to speak out in a more powerful voice like they are doing there.
Pokies [slots]
Yes I am an Australian living in Sydney. The pokies as we call them here serve no social purpose but are manipulative machines. In Sydney like most other urban centres in Australia pokies are literally in your face in bars, clubs and pubs. Simply these machines are a racket. On a number of occasions I have seen people in less than 10 minutes lose at least $200 in pokies.. Hopefully in my lifetime throughout Australia they will be just confined to the casinos and like in Singapore there will be a hefty entrance charge of at least $100. As one Australian song says “Blow up the pokies”
Wake up America!
Same Deceptive Slots / Pokies Product...Same Irresponsible Gambling Industry!
As a fellow Australian, I support Greg’s comments 100% (above post). It is time to dispel the myth that EGM’s are ‘recreational, harmless toys that are safe for most people to use’. If at any one time 30% of drivers were consistently killed or badly maimed on our roads, then our road laws, vehicle safety laws would be changed. The mindset that ‘slots / pokies’ are an innocent pastime that ‘must be OK because they are legal’ needs a shakeup. Heroin also used to be legal.
Our Australian Bureau of Statistics proved in our annual Household Expenditure reports (2003-4) that pokies gamblers either had no idea of what they had truly spent upon pokies…or that they actively lied when asked to declare these losses. People in therapy also under-estimate their losses and levels of gambling addiction to counselors, out of shame…if client reports can be believed.
Not only are we dealing here with an irresponsible industry that is presenting as ‘safe and reliably regulated’ a dangerously addictive consumer product that knowingly harms at least 30% of its users, based upon official estimates…we are also dealing with a vast lack of disclosure of the degree of severity of the problem itself (shame limits the problem)….plus a social marketing message that falsely perpetuates a lie that EGM’s are safe to use. Needful governments are supporting these myths.
It is time to get the whole argument away from ‘problem gambling treatment options’ per se and to place it in the human rights / consumer rights and wider social context. The 10 others that are harmed by every overspending casino gambler should have their rights protected, beyond one person’s right to harm them…whether he is ‘sick’ or not!
The only way to deal with the harm issues responsibly is to license all casino slots / pokies gamblers so that the market is identified and warned / educated of the dangers of these apparent ‘harmless toys’ before any person ever uses them. All users need to receive records of spending and all families should have better protections against harms. I agree that a licence levy / fee should also be charged of gamblers, just like all drivers pay a licence fee, whether they drive safely or not. Slots / pokies gamblers must contribute more efficiently to costs they do create for taxpayers, if these products cannot be banned. They should be but licensing would be a second-best option, at least.
Until we ‘join the dots’ and work together between nations, to stand up to the global scourge that IS our shared gambling industry, together, our objections will continue to be marginalized / trivialized as zealot (read hysterical / worthless) reactions. There is nothing ‘spoil sport’ in wanting to live safely and to protect the safety rights of others who might be ‘the majority’.
Right now we do not even know exactly who that ‘majority’ may be…and when we get an inkling we avoid researching to find out! The global system of casino gambling management is rotten to the core it seems! Thank goodness we have the internet to link us. It will be our savior in the end! We are no longer voices in the dark or need not be. Rumblings are growing to roars and the gambling industry knows it.
(ps Greg of Sydney? I would like to get in touch with you if you do not mind? Would you mind emailing me if you read this, please? libby.mitch@gotalk.net.au
I trust that this is OK by this group to ask this? If not, please delete? )