Hume City Council welcomes the State Government's latest move in reducing gambling harm via new legislation introduced into the Victorian Parliament.
The Labor Government's "Gambling Legislation Amendment (Pre-commitment and Carded Play) Bill 2024" will give customers more control over how much they spend when using electronic gaming machines, reducing gambling harm.
In Hume, playing electronic gaming machines (EGMs) is the second most common form of gambling, with one in three people reporting that they had spent more money than they wanted to when playing pokies.
In the 2023/24 financial year, communities across Hume City lost $138 million to EGMs, the second highest recorded losses to EGMS for the municipality and the fourth highest in Victoria, a position it's held for the last two consecutive financial years.
Council has long advocated for reforms that reduce the harm caused by EGMS, which are designed to be addictive and can lead to financial loss, stress and theft at concerning rates in our community.
This new Bill will help reduce these effects experienced from gambling by laying out a path towards implementing mandatory player cards when using electronic gaming machines.
The card will provide information about the card user's gambling and allow them to set limits on how much they are willing to lose – directly addressing the top concern for one-third of gamblers in Hume.
We are pleased that these overdue reforms align with recommendations set out in our submission to the Department of Justice and Community Safety in 2023, heavily advocating for load-up limits to protect our most vulnerable community members.
However, while we are pleased to see positive developments finally becoming a reality, we know more can be done to cap the overall monthly and annual losses for gamblers.
We will continue to work with the state government on ensuring the voices of those with lived experiences, in our community and others, are represented.
Quotes attributable to Hume City Mayor Cr Jarrod Bell:
"Hume City is disproportionately affected by gambling harm compared to other areas in Victoria, and this Bill will go a long way in minimising the damage caused by unregulated gaming machine use.
"These major reforms will allow people to become more aware of their gambling losses and see the impact on their wallet in real time, and before significant harm occurs."
