ACT Labor wants to kill two birds with one stone in its plan to reduce gambling harm. Photo: Duallogic.
The number of poker machines in the ACT will be slashed to just 1000 by 2045 if Labor is re-elected in October in a plan that aims to reduce gambling harm and open up land for much-needed housing.
ACT Labor says it will legislate to force clubs to give up 500 machines every four years until the target is met.
The sweetener will be a framework for clubs to develop sustainable alternative revenue streams, including practical ways for clubs to unlock their land so it can be used for housing, build-to-rent projects, and aged care.
“The outcome will be more affordable housing in accessible locations across Canberra,” ACT Labor said.
Labor will establish a Community Clubs Diversification Team in the ACT Government.
This team will provide clubs with a single point of contact for interacting with the government, support the master planning of club sites, help with social impact assessments when looking to de-concessionalise all or part of existing leases and review permissible uses for gaming machine offsets.
An innovation fund will also provide seed funding to support diversification efforts.
ACT Labor said its plan to reduce the harm caused by gambling addiction also included the introduction of mandatory, account-based cashless gaming in all ACT venues.
“A re-elected Labor Government would fast track the implementation of a cashless framework to 2026-27, which would provide users with personal spending and time limits to reduce harm arising from their use of pokies,” it said.
Cashless gaming would allow the establishment of harm reduction measures such as digital wallets, personal spending limits, time limits and breaks, player activity statements in real-time and restrictions on access to credit cards and transfers from overdrawn accounts.
Community clubs would be required to cover the implementation costs of cashless gaming.
A re-elected ACT Labor Government will also ban ATMs and EFTPOS withdrawals in clubs and strengthen self-exclusion.
Under Labor’s self-exclusion policy, a person would be suspended from their account and/or setting up a new account for a period of time that they decide. However, they would still be able to enjoy other community club functions such as dining or events.
An ACT Labor Government will also encourage the establishment of a “club of the future” in the Molonglo Valley – a community club without pokies.
In March, the Gaming Machine Amendment Bill 2023 was passed in the Legislative Assembly banning poker machines from the Molonglo Valley or future suburbs of Canberra, following Labor backbencher Dr Marisa Paterson’s campaign to keep the Molonglo pokie-free.
ACT Labor said the community clubs sector played an important role in Canberra as a major local employer and a strong supporter of community and junior sports and cultural events.
“But the future of community clubs cannot be linked to the harm caused by gambling addiction, and the transition away from electronic gaming machines needs to continue,” it said.
ACT Labor said the most effective way to reduce the harm caused by pokies is to reduce the number of machines available, and their geographic availability, alongside the introduction of mandatory harm reduction measures in venues.
“Alongside this legislated compulsory reduction system, ACT Labor will continue to work with the local community clubs to move towards a more sustainable sector that delivers a long-term community benefit,” it said.
“It’s a progressive, practical and proven plan to reduce the harm caused by gambling addiction and build a sustainable community clubs sector for Canberra’s future.”
The number of machines in Canberra has fallen from 5022 in 2015 to 3790 today. The government is already aiming to reduce this number to 3500 by 1 July 2025.
Under the government’s Gaming Machine Voluntary Authorisation Surrender Scheme, the government pays clubs $15,000 for each gaming machine authorisation that is voluntarily surrendered.
In March, that was extended to $20,000 per machine if a club went ‘pokie-free’.
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