Pokies - Turnbull faces push for max bets and ad bans.

[Bollox]

This is a really serious issue.
State gov'ts have become almost dependent on the revenue, hard to see it changing.

Serious ?
On a rating of 1 to 10 it would come in about 2.
Anything where people don't want to accept responsibility for their own actions, or wish to assign blame to others or "society" comes in a poor 5th to actual important issues.

Think of it as a moron tax.

It is helping to pay for the truly important stuff.

The more arseclowns that feed their wallets into pokies, the better off the other 99% are.


So I suppose the best thing for some of you to do is head down the pub and funnel your welfare cheques back into a way that funds the health of others.
So PLEASE go ahead.
Do it all. Your entire welfare cheque. The more the merrier.

The other 99% can laugh our guts out whilst you pretend your little "problem" is someone elses fault.

 

[Maggie5]

Serious ?
On a rating of 1 to 10 it would come in about 2.
Anything where people don't want to accept responsibility for their own actions, or wish to assign blame to others or "society" comes in a poor 5th to actual important issues.

Think of it as a moron tax.

It is helping to pay for the truly important stuff.

The more arseclowns that feed their wallets into pokies, the better off the other 99% are.


So I suppose the best thing for some of you to do is head down the pub and funnel your welfare cheques back into a way that funds the health of others.
So PLEASE go ahead.
Do it all. Your entire welfare cheque. The more the merrier.

The other 99% can laugh our guts out whilst you pretend your little "problem" is someone elses fault.

What a rant, shame I didn't read it all.

 

[Slax]

I want to see gambling reform not Pokies reform. What I want is gambling advertising banned outright. People can spend their money how they like I believe, but we don't need to be shoving down the thoughts of children under 10. It is really no different to cigarette advertising, gambling destroys lives.

 

[Lakeside Swan]

I wouldn't cry if some virus infected the pokies and made them inoperable.

I hope you have expressed that opinion to your club?

 

[Lakeside Swan]

My Mother has been deeply depressed since my Father died some 20 years ago. During that time she has been addicted to pokies and has blown some $600k+ on them. To think that a significant proportion of that has gone to the State Labor Governments who have in turn pi55ed it up against the wall only rubs salt into the wound. We were aware of her problem for most of that time but were unable to do anything about it. It's not possible for a third party to ban someone from these venues.

It's not just the pokies, I'm also against gambling in general. I had a business partner addicted to the horses and dogs. He ripped me off for $200k in order to fund his habit and nearly cost me my marriage.

It's more than the gamblers who are affected. It is their families, friends and especially the victims of their crimes. Gambling needs to be banned altogether. Banning all gambling will drive some of it underground but there will be less of it and therefore less temptation.

 

[Crankyhawk]

I hope you have expressed that opinion to your club?

Unfortunately it doesn't make a difference if individual clubs sell of the pokies licenses as patrons just go elsewhere. Needs a statewide network failure. Hence pokies virus.

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

My Mother has been deeply depressed since my Father died some 20 years ago. During that time she has been addicted to pokies and has blown some $600k+ on them. To think that a significant proportion of that has gone to the State Labor Governments who have in turn pi55ed it up against the wall only rubs salt into the wound. We were aware of her problem for most of that time but were unable to do anything about it. It's not possible for a third party to ban someone from these venues.

It's not just the pokies, I'm also against gambling in general. I had a business partner addicted to the horses and dogs. He ripped me off for $200k in order to fund his habit and nearly cost me my marriage.

It's more than the gamblers who are affected. It is their families, friends and especially the victims of their crimes. Gambling needs to be banned altogether. Banning all gambling will drive some of it underground but there will be less of it and therefore less temptation.

This is such a common scenario (and too bloody sad).

This is the real story right here Bollox, so save your ideological craptrap for fapping over Ayn Rand

 

[iluvparis]

Alcohol destroys as many if not more lives than gambling. Perhaps we should ban that too?

Let he who is without sin....

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

Alcohol destroys as many if not more lives than gambling. Perhaps we should ban that too?

Let he who is without sin....

Nobody's talking about banning them. More regulation as a form of consumer protection.

What's sin got to do with it?

 

[iluvparis]

Nobody's talking about banning them. More regulation as a form of consumer protection.

What's sin got to do with it?

It's a reference that I'm guessing 95%+ of those calling for gambling to be banned/heavily regulated wouldn't mind a drink or two.

It's hypocritical IMHO to not treat the two vices the same.

 

[Sinjin Smith]

My Mother has been deeply depressed since my Father died some 20 years ago. During that time she has been addicted to pokies and has blown some $600k+ on them. To think that a significant proportion of that has gone to the State Labor Governments who have in turn pi55ed it up against the wall only rubs salt into the wound. We were aware of her problem for most of that time but were unable to do anything about it. It's not possible for a third party to ban someone from these venues.

It's not just the pokies, I'm also against gambling in general. I had a business partner addicted to the horses and dogs. He ripped me off for $200k in order to fund his habit and nearly cost me my marriage.

It's more than the gamblers who are affected. It is their families, friends and especially the victims of their crimes. Gambling needs to be banned altogether. Banning all gambling will drive some of it underground but there will be less of it and therefore less temptation.

Banning all gambling will send all of it underground. Not sure about "less temptation" either.

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

It's a reference that I'm guessing 95%+ of those calling for gambling to be banned/heavily regulated wouldn't mind a drink or two.

It's hypocritical IMHO to not treat the two vices the same.

What nonsense.

Alcohol is regulated. It's an offence to serve alcohol to a pissed person in a licensed venue.

 

[Pie eyed]

It's a reference that I'm guessing 95%+ of those calling for gambling to be banned/heavily regulated wouldn't mind a drink or two.

It's hypocritical IMHO to not treat the two vices the same.

Do you launder drug money through the pokies?
That's actually what they are for.

 

[TheKanga]

Alcohol destroys as many if not more lives than gambling. Perhaps we should ban that too?

Let he who is without sin....

Two different vices completely.
I think the ratio from recreational drinker and alcoholic would be less than

The ratio between Casual punter and problem gambler/gambling addict.

Also one leads to financial ruin which impacts one's livelihood and their families well being.
Don't get me wrong, alcholism is terrible but i just don't think it's a worthwhile comparison.

 

[Grin]

Alcohol destroys as many if not more lives than gambling. Perhaps we should ban that too?

Let he who is without sin....

So what you're saying is that pubs should be able to serve people who are obviously intoxicated?

 

[iluvparis]

Two different vices completely.
I think the ratio from recreational drinker and alcoholic would be less than

The ratio between Casual punter and problem gambler/gambling addict.

Also one leads to financial ruin which impacts one's livelihood and their families well being.
Don't get me wrong, alcholism is terrible but i just don't think it's a worthwhile comparison.

The comparison is completely valid - alcoholism also leads people to financial ruin and impacts families terribly. You might think these ratios are not the same but that's because you've experienced a gambling problem so you are biased into thinking its more common that it actually is.

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

Two different vices completely.
I think the ratio from recreational drinker and alcoholic would be less than

The ratio between Casual punter and problem gambler/gambling addict.

Also one leads to financial ruin which impacts one's livelihood and their families well being.
Don't get me wrong, alcholism is terrible but i just don't think it's a worthwhile comparison.

I think that is definitely the case with pokies

 

[TheKanga]

The comparison is completely valid - alcoholism also leads people to financial ruin and impacts families terribly. You might think these ratios are not the same but that's because you've experienced a gambling problem so you are biased into thinking its more common that it actually is.

Fair point, let's just agree that both vices are terrible if one gets addicted to them.
I've seen what alcoholism can do, I've had a family member who was an alcoholic.

In the case of pokies, i'd say pretty much most players are addicts to some extent.
There is zero fun or skill involved.

In terms i've my own experience, i've seen punters in TAB's and a lot of them look really disheveled.
I saw this business man looking guy come in one time, betting on horse race after race and he wasn't winning at all.
Losing hundreds on each race & putting on ridiculous trifecta's

 

[iluvparis]

re: Pokies I would tend to agree - no skill involved and line would be very blurry between casual player and addict

 

[The_Reaper]

Include pokies in the GST calculations.

You can't seriously pretend to be serious on pokies when you're basically giving such an incentive for state government to keep the status quo going.

 

[Crankyhawk]

It's a reference that I'm guessing 95%+ of those calling for gambling to be banned/heavily regulated wouldn't mind a drink or two.

It's hypocritical IMHO to not treat the two vices the same.

Well the equivalent of heavy regulation would be preventing public impact eg public drunkeness laws, regulations of sales to under 18s and responsible service policies. These are lacking in gambling, and one goes through a lot more $

 

[little graham]

They should be banned. They target the mentally ill.

 

[tandino]

Why can't the machine keep a running tally of what the punters have lost etc over the past hour/day etc

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

They should be banned. They target the mentally ill.

A colleague of mine's about to publish a study on problem gambling within public and private mental health services, from the perspectives of both clinicians and their customers. Basically MH clinicians know very little and the problem is more prevalent and furtgher negatively impacting on their mental and physical health.

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

Why can't the machine keep a running tally of what the punters have lost etc over the past hour/day etc

In Victoria, they actually do. The players can use a function which tracks that info (i.e. time spent and money spent etc.). Have spent a fair amount of time in venues (often with clients as part of treatment, mostly though when I'm on t'piss) and have rarely seen anybody using it. Would like to know the uptake of that function, if it's available will try and get hold of it.

Here's the link which explains the tracking function

http://www.responsiblegambling.vic....amble-aware/keep-track-of-your-time-and-money