Page 1676 - Week 05 - Thursday, 11 May 2017
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through the PGAF include the ACT Gambling Counselling and Support Service, the development of and training for the online self-exclusion register, a longitudinal study of those who have received assistance for problem gambling, as well as the funding of online problem gambling counselling and support.
Earlier this year I tasked my officials to look at a number of additional harm minimisation measures. Two of the measures I specifically asked my directorate to investigate are identified in this motion: the placing of limits or restrictions on EFTPOS withdrawals so that the current $250 per day limit on ATM machines cannot be circumvented; and making social impact assessments in relation to gaming machine licence applications more accessible to the public.
With EFTPOS limits, the problems that have recently come to light with high-risk gamblers accessing EFTPOS facilities are not isolated to the ACT, but they clearly warrant further examination. Research conducted in Victoria in 2013 found that gamblers overwhelmingly wanted some sort of limit on access to cash through EFTPOS facilities to assist them to manage their gambling.
The same research found that people experiencing high or moderate levels of harm accessed EFTPOS significantly more times when gambling than did non-problem gamblers. It showed that 22 per cent of people experiencing gambling harm accessed cash via EFTPOS multiple times per day as opposed to between 0.4 and 3.1 per cent of others. The government recognises that unlimited EFTPOS cash withdrawals can exacerbate issues for some gamblers, and it is exploring ways to address this issue.
The government’s examination of gaming machine harm reduction measures will also include the outcomes of an investigation of the recent complaint that has been made to the Gambling and Racing Commission that a patron of the Raiders Belconnen club lost a substantial sum of money playing electronic gaming machines between July 2015 and January 2017. Investigators from Access Canberra are treating this matter as a priority, and the investigation should be concluded in mid-2017.
Particular issues highlighted by the complaint include how the ATM withdrawal limit and the EFTPOS withdrawals operate in practice and whether the training of club staff to deal with problem gambling is adequate. These matters will be considered once the findings of the investigation are complete as part of looking at harm reduction measures.
Finally, I am pleased to announce that I will be bringing forward this year legislation to amend the Gaming Machine Act 2004 to enable public online access as well as physical access to social impact assessments, outlining social and economic implications of additional electronic gaming machines being applied for while an application is being considered by the commission.
Two further measures that are being explored in line with the parliamentary agreement are mandatory pre-commitments and limits on the amount that a person can bet per spin on a gaming machine. These policy options are being explored alongside a number of other harm reduction strategies as part of a program of continuous improvement to the territory’s gaming regulations. The government will
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