Hannah Hammoud
Gaming machine areas in all Brimbank venues will soon be subject to mandatory closure periods following the state government’s first step to enforcing its landmark gambling reforms.
On October 3, Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Minister Melissa Horne announced a bill to enforce mandatory closure periods for all gaming machine areas in venues, except Crown Casino, between 4am and 10am.
In August alone, more than $15 million was lost to Electronic Gaming Machines in Brimbank.
Brimbank mayor Bruce Lancashire said reducing gambling harm is a priority for council.
“Brimbank has the highest losses to electronic gaming machines of any Victorian local government area, totalling $172.896 million in 2022-23,” he said.
“Council has been advocating for gambling reform over a period of years. Advocacy on the issue has been led by mayors and councillors, who have met regularly with local MPs and Ministers for Gambling.“
The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) reports that there are 15 venues in Brimbank with pokies, and 953 pokie machines across the municipality – 100 per cent the allowable machine limit.
The VRGF sponsored Brimbank council’s Libraries After Dark program, aimed at offering an alternative to the lure of pokies venues in high-risk communities.
The program wrapped up at the end of July after two years of events and workshops, with 663 attendees across 79 programs.
Brimbank council said it will continue to advocate to the state government for further measures to help minimise gambling harm across the municipality, including bringing forward the closing time to 12am, lowering the daily EFTPOS withdrawal limit to $200, decreasing the maximum bet to $1 per spin, and introducing a ‘sinking cap’ whereby gaming machines are not replaced once entitlements have been forfeited.
Speaking about the bill Minister Horne said the mandatory closure period is important to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm.
“We’ve seen predatory behaviour from some venues, allowing people to keep gambling for hours, at any hour,” she said.
“Closing gaming areas between 4am and 10am will give people an important break to reassess and walk away.”
The bill will also extend the Minister’s powers to ban harmful betting on activities that take place outside of Victoria such as sports played by minors.
The mandatory closures are set to come into effect by mid-2024.
