Tara Murray
Brimbank council is calling for the Victorian government to follow the lead of other states and introduce a cashless gambling card system.
Brimbank councillor Virginia Tachos raised a successful notice of motion at the last council meeting calling on the state government to do more to combat gambling on electronic gambling machines (EGMs)
The council will write to the state government calling for a bipartisan approach in introducing reforms that utilise pre-commitment systems and cashless cards to reduce the harms of electronic gambling on working and vulnerable people in the west.
More than $128 million was spent on electronic gaming machines in Brimbank in the 2021-22 financial year, the most in the state.
It was nearly $14 million more than Casey which was the next highest.
Cr Tachos, who is passionate about the harm EGMs are doing to the Brimbank community, said this was an issue that had to be addressed.
“I’m concerned about the devastating impacts of gambling on our community and are calling on council to advocate for the introduction of mandatory cashless pre-commitments schemes across Victoria,” she said.,
“A universal monetary pre-commitment system provides accurate information to people on the time and money spent gambling over a set period.
“This can help empower people to take control of their gambling. The Victorian government recently committed to introducing a cashless gambling card system at the casino, however it is critical that it is also implemented in pubs and clubs for these reforms to be effective.”
Brimbank council is a leadership council with the Alliance for Gambling Reform and has been consistently calling on the state government to take steps to reduce gambling harm through a range of evidence based harm minimisation measures.
Cr Tachos said this was one of those measures. She said gambling had left broken homes, tradies with no money and emotional hardship
“I remain very concerned about the impact of gambling to the Brimbank community.”
Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Minister Melissa Horne said the government had overhauled how it regulated the gambling industry with the new Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.
The commission has oversight of all gambling activities in the state from pubs and clubs to the casino, with harm minimisation a central part of its focus.
“We will continue to monitor the harm minimisation arrangements for hotels and clubs across the state to ensure we have the appropriate regulatory settings and reserve the right to make further changes,” Ms Horne said.
