Hannah Hammoud
Reforms for stronger gambling harm protections in Victoria have been welcomed by Brimbank, but council is continuing to push for further changes.
Brimbank has the highest losses to electronic gaming machines of any Victorian local government area (LGA), recording losses of $128 million in 2021-22.
The state government announced sweeping reforms on July 16, designed to prevent gambling harm and anti-money laundering with the changes expected to be in place by the end of the year.
The changes will introduce pre-commitment limits and mandatory carded play, as well as reducing load-up limits to $100, down from $1000.
It will also be mandatory for all new electronic gaming machines to be slowed down to a spin rate of three seconds a game.
All venues in Brimbank with poker machines will be required to close gaming areas between the hours of 4am and 10am.
Councillor Virginia Tachos said whilst she welcomes the long-awaited reforms, they are simply not enough, with fears that funding for the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) will be cut.
“The LGA of Brimbank has haemorrhage gambling losses and remains to be the highest losers in gambling losses and the second most disadvantaged with the greatest losses recorded for the last decade,” she said.
“… Whilst these reforms look really positive on paper, the government is not actually saying whether they are going to continue funding the VRGF beyond 2023.”
Council said while the reforms will go a long way to minimising the detrimental social and economic impacts of gambling, there are a number of additional reforms that would contribute to further harm reduction.
Council is urging the state government to consider extending the reforms to include 12am closing, a lower daily EFTPOS withdrawal limit of $200, decreased maximum bets of $1 per spin, and the introduction of a ‘sinking cap’, where gaming machines are not replaced once entitlements have been forfeited.
Brimbank mayor Bruce Lancashire said the community has been talking about the harms and damage caused by gambling for a long time.
“My thoughts are with everyone who has an experience of gambling harm, and we should acknowledge that these reforms have been a long time coming,” he said.
