[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Pokie Losses On the Rise_K Booth MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

POKIES LOSSES AN INDICTMENT ON BARTLETT LABOR

As $213 Million Ripped Out Of Community

Kim Booth MP
Greens Shadow Gaming Spokesperson

Thursday, 30 October 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today slammed the Bartlett Labor government over
the alarming gambling losses suffered by the community, pointing to the
$213,938,037 lost on pokie machines around the state revealed today in
the Tasmanian Gaming Commission's 2007-08 Annual Report.

Greens Shadow Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that the Report
shows that overall losses increased by around $13 million with an $8
million increase in losses in clubs and pubs, and a $5 million increased
loss in the Casinos, and that such rising losses were an indictment on
the Bartlett Labor government and reflected a callous disregard for the
community.

The Tasmanian Gaming Commission Annual Report 2007-08 states that the
total money lost from all forms of gambling was over $280 million. [i]

"The Gaming Commission's Annual Report for 2007-08 reveals that
$213,938,037 was stripped from the savings of Tasmanians by pokies, and
even more alarming is the fact that of that amount $117,297,777 was lost
in pubs and clubs," Mr Booth said. [ii]

"$213 million dollars ripped out of the community by pokie machines
alone is $213 million too much." 

"These machines are known as the crack cocaine of gambling and machine
locusts and should not be in pubs and clubs."

"The government takes about 30% of this heist on the public purse to
fund its ill conceived splurges, like the $200,000 wasted on promoting
Gunns pulp mill, $11 million in interest payments for the  Meander Dam
or how about $20 million on football"

"Bartlett Labor also blatantly uses the so-called community service levy
imposed on pokies as a mobile pork barrel to fund projects around the
state that should not be funded from the misery of pokie victims."

"Ironically they bought a shredder for the Glee club for $2,729 !" [iii]

"This Gaming Annual report reveals a litany of "gunna do" but no action
and ignores the finding of the SACES study by simply referring people to
the report on a web site."

"The response to harm minimisation is pathetic with the governments only
response to crow about requiring ATMs to be at least 20 metres from a
pokie in the future."

"The Greens continually called for an independent social and economic
impact study into the effects of pokie machines and after 10 years the
government finally buckled and got SACES to do one, but now it seems
they have no intention of acting upon its findings."

"Bartlett Labor apparently doesn't care about the families who suffer as
a result of problem gambling and pokies and they should hang their heads
in shame."

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[i]  Tasmanian Gaming Commission Annual Report 2007-08; pg 29.

[ii]  Tasmanian Gaming Commission Annual Report 2007-08; pg 28.

[iii] Tasmanian Gaming Commission Annual Report 2007-08; pg 13.




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