Coalition Takes Strong Stance Relating To Australia Gaming
A political battle is waging in Australia, and it appears as though the gambling issue will be at the forefront of who wins power in the next election. The Coalition made their strongest statement yet regarding gambling this week when they announced that a complete overhaul of the regulatory procedures could be on the way.
Clubs Australia, the most powerful gaming lobby in the country has been at odds with the current administration for several years. New safeguards against problem gambling such as limiting amounts that gamblers can lose in casinos have been met with resistance from Clubs Australia.
The Coalition has found this divide to be a rallying point for Australians who enjoy gambling as a form of entertainment. The Coalition claims that if they win power, they will suspend the gambling limit legislation, and dissolve the current oversight committee that regulates casinos.
In its place, the Coalition would collect a group of gaming executives, and use the executives as an advisory council to regulate gaming in Australia. This decision has some experts scratching their heads.
"It's just bizarre to put the gambling industry in charge of the advisory group," said Dr. Colin McLeod, who studies the gaming industry as a senior member at the University of Melbourne. "What you're asking the industry to do is find ways to curtail the spending of its most profitable customers."
Clubs Australia and gaming proponents offer up a different view, suggesting that it is those within the industry that best know how to regulate gaming.
"The Coalition's approach recognizes the work already done and reflects the reality that policies based on proper consultation and consideration work better for problem gamblers than those that are the product of hasty political deals," said Clubs Australia, in a statement.
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has been the lawmaker pushing hardest for reform within the gaming industry. Wilkie has pushed through legislation that calls for gamblers to enter pre-commitment amounts before sitting down at a slot machine in a casino. The idea is that once that limit is reached, the gambler cannot binge gamble and lose more than they can afford.