Sydney council wants to stop pokies

A council from western Sydney asked to stop poker machines in order to reduce gambling-related problems.

Australia.- Fairfield Council, from western Sydney, called for a stop on poker machines after a new report revealed that in just one year more than US$6 billion were gambled in Australia, almost US$30k per resident.

The council wants to lessen the number of pokies in areas where there is a high machine density, as revealed by The Guardian. Liquor and Gaming NSW determines gambling risk areas based on gaming machine density and socio-economic factors. Fairfield features 3836 poker machines with a population of 207k in 2016, which scores the highest risk in the scale. Paul Newson, deputy secretary of the Liquor & Gaming NSW, said yesterday that this means local venues seeking an increase in gaming machines must undertake a far more rigorous level of community consultation than venues in bands one and two areas.

This classification urges that communities with the highest risk have to apply to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority in order to increase the number of gaming machines. “Venues in band three are subjected to the most stringent assessment processes [compared to bands one and two],” he added.

Moreover, the NSW Greens agreed with the official and insisted that the government has to work with the affected communities. “NSW has allowed de facto casinos in our local communities that are ripping billions of dollars from local people and taking a toll on families and individuals. The government must now play its part and give pokies-impacted communities like Fairfield support for a freeze and then reduction in machine numbers,” said Justin Field, Greens MP, in a statement.