Peter83
32
2012/01/31 06:58
#290147
Manne wrote:
Problem gambling in clubs and pubs along with the increasing exposure to gaming through Internet betting begs the question; why not outlaw gambling altogether?
When that question was put to Eden-Monaro member Dr Mike Kelly, his response was, “Mate, this is Australia! I don’t think you could ever get rid of gambling.”
However, there is increasing awareness of the impact that gambling addiction is having on families particularly in low socio-economic areas such as Eden, and the radical Andrew Wilkie strategy of mandatory pre-commitment was seen as a big step forward in addressing it.
But the financial impact of introducing the technology on clubs in rural areas and the subsequent loss of revenue would have been devastating.
Many clubs along the Sapphire Coast that rely so heavily on gaming revenue would have been forced to close altogether.
General manager of the Eden Fishermen’s Recreation Club, Peter Cook, said gaming represented 60 per cent of the revenue generated at the club.
“We’d like to be able to reduce that figure,” he said. “We’re looking at diversification as well in how we can better address the needs of the future without being so reliant on gaming revenue.”
However, he said it’s a big challenge, particularly in small communities. City clubs have branched into restaurant, accommodation and even nursing home ventures, but Mr Cook said these areas are already over-subscribed in Eden.
“We’d be competing against our own town and that makes it more difficult,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean we’re not addressing it. We’ve done a risk analysis and a strategic plan lately where all these things have been identified and we’re looking at how we would still be here in the community in the next 50 years.”
In the meantime there’s the work on trying to minimise problem gambling and Mr Cook said they’ve had some success there.
“In my eight years here we’ve entered into probably 30 self-exclusions - whether they’re three-month exclusions or six-month exclusions or whether they sign up again, most of those people who have signed up don’t come to the club for gambling anymore,” he said. “So it has been a tool that has assisted the club to help them and assist with them personally as well.”
However, he said that there was more that could be done, although it would require a change of legislation to make work one idea he believes could.
“One of the best things that could happen on this issue is to have a third party approach us,” he said.
“At the moment in NSW if, say, a gentleman comes and says, ‘Oh, my girlfriend has a problem with gambling’, I can’t discuss that matter with him because of privacy rules, but if that legislation changes and we are able to listen to third parties then we’d be able to approach the people and talk to them about their potential problem.”
Mr Cook and Dr Kelly say they are now hopeful that the ACT trials will yield solid data and that will assist in further strategies to combat problem gambling.
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2012/01/28
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Online gambling is already legal in the district, but it became law in an unusual way. A councilmember inserted language that would allow online poker, blackjack and other games into a budget bill, and it became law last spring when Congress declined to intervene. Some councilmembers were unhappy with that process and want to roll back online gambling before it starts.
On Thursday, D.C. Lottery officials said during a council committee hearing that with the council’s blessing, they could launch the website to offer the online games within 30 days. But Councilmember Jack Evans, who chairs the committee that’s considering a bill to repeal the law, said he’s not concerned if there’s a delay in rolling out online gambling, or even if D.C. is the first in the nation to do so.
“Given where we are now, should we go back and revisit it or not? That’s what I’ll decide,” said Evans, a Ward 2 Democrat. “There’s no rush to get this done.”
The repeal bill was introduced last year by Councilmember Tommy Wells, D-Ward 6, and at least two of the 12 other councilmembers support it. The councilmembers who want to repeal online gambling also are concerned about the district’s $39 million contract with Intralot, its Greece-based lottery vendor.
While online gambling essentially is banned in the United States, the Justice Department clarified last month that states can authorize it within their borders. Several states are expressing interest, but only Nevada and the district have approved laws or regulations authorizing online gambling. Officials in Nevada have said they hope to begin offering online poker by the end of the year.
The lottery’s executive director, Buddy Roogow, said Thursday that the lottery no longer plans to offer the online equivalent of slot machines out of respect for district voters, who have rejected slots in the past. Games would be free for 30 to 60 days after the launch to allow for software to be tested, he said. Players would have to be at least 19 years old and would only be allowed to wager $250 a week. The low limits are intended to appeal to recreational players and not professional gamblers. The lottery intends to verify Internet protocol addresses and use global positioning software to ensure that players are within the borders of the district. Interstate online gambling remains illegal. The office of Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi has estimated that online gambling will bring in $13 million over four years after Intralot takes a 50 percent cut. The figure has not been revised to reflect that other states might move in ahead of the district.
During the hearing, Council member David Catania, I-At Large, accused Gandhi of “going rogue” by inserting the online gambling language into the lottery contract without approval from the council and suggested that Gandhi should step down. He threatened to sue Gandhi’s office for illegally altering the contract if online gambling goes forward.
“I’m pretty sure we can throw a monkey wrench into this,” Catania said at a hearing on the program.
Gandhi said there was nothing improper about the change to the contract. The D.C. Inspector General has cleared Gandhi’s office of illegal conduct, but his report raised questions about the way the gambling language was added. The contract did not specify that Intralot would be able to bring online gambling to the district. Instead, it only included language about “nontraditional games.” After it was approved in 2009, the contract was amended to specify that Intralot could implement an online gambling system.
Some councilmembers have said they did not know they were putting the district on a path toward online gambling when they approved the contract, and civic activists have complained about a lack of transparency in the process. Councilmember Michael A. Brown, I-At Large, who has led the push for online gambling by inserting the measure into the supplemental budget bill, said there still was value in coming first. He expects people to travel to the district from nearby states to play legal online poker instead of playing on unregulated overseas sites.