Tasmania launches inquiry into scrapped gaming machine card
A parliamentary inquiry will examine the Tasmanian government’s decision to abandon its mandatory pre-commitment card and introduce alternative harm minimisation measures for gaming machines.
Australia.- Tasmania’s Legislative Council has launched an inquiry into the state government’s decision to scrap its planned mandatory pre-commitment card for gaming machines. The Upper House Government Administration Committee A appointed a sub-committee to investigate the policy change, and a first meeting was held on August 25. The inquiry will examine the evidence behind the decision and the alternative measures introduced by the government.
The government announced in January that it would abandon the card system and instead implement a package of measures including longer gaming-area shutdowns, ticket-based play, facial recognition and immediate self-exclusion technology. The system would have capped gaming machine losses at AU$100 (US$68) per day or AU$5,000 (US$3,400) per year.
The replacement Ticket In Ticket Out (TITO) system allows players to load up to AU$200 (US$141) per ticket, with a maximum of AU$100 (US$68) on a machine at any one time, but does not impose daily or annual loss limits. The inquiry will assess the government’s response to the Deloitte report and the evidence supporting the replacement measures. Submissions and evidence will be sought from gambling support services, the gaming industry, government departments and the Gaming Commission.
Independent Nelson MLC Meg Webb, deputy chair of the inquiry sub-committee, questioned the basis for the government’s decision and said Tasmanians deserved to know what prompted the policy change.
Treasurer Eric Abetz defended the government’s approach, saying the new package was designed to reduce opportunities for harmful gambling behaviour. The measures include immediate venue self-exclusion, limits on cash access and longer shutdown periods.
The new framework requires gaming areas to close for seven hours every 24 hours, compared with four hours previously. Mandatory facial recognition technology will also be linked to Tasmania’s Gambling Exclusion Scheme to identify excluded patrons in real time.
