AUS - Venues to lose pokies in gambling crackdown
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Source: ABC News
Published Date: Dec 18, 2006
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AUSTRALIA – The Victorian Government has announced which gaming venues are to lose poker machines under its plan to cap machine numbers in 19 Victorian regions.
The Government promised to move 543 gaming machines during the election campaign and they will come from venues in Dandenong, Hume, Latrobe, Maribyrnong, Monash and Warrnambool.
Some clubs will lose only one or two machines and they can be moved to other regions not covered by the cap.
Gaming Minister Daniel Andrews says it is part of a $132 million plan to reduce problem gambling.
“A comprehensive plan to take action on problem gambling,” he said.
“This is the biggest package, the biggest policy and the biggest financial commitment in terms of addressing and taking action on problem gambling that Victoria has seen.”
Opposition gaming spokesman Michael O’Brien says the Government is simply moving pokies around instead of reducing the total number.
He says it shows the Government is not serious about tackling problem gambling.
“You can’t solve the drug problem by moving drug dealers across the street and you can’t solve gambling problems by moving pokie machines from suburb to suburb,” he said.
He says the caps will do nothing to help reduce problem gambling.
“This decision means that there will not be one less pokie machine operating in Victoria, operating on one less day, taking one less dollar of revenue,” he said.
