28 October 2013

Lose the Pokies. An Open Letter to the Legislative Assembly

| Chris Endrey
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poker machines

‘If clubs fail, the economic and social contribution they make will also disappear and at the expense of the broader community’

– ClubsACT

Hahahaha. Nope.

Dear ACT Legislative Assembly,

Do we really need pokies in the ACT? It seems cruel to still need to rake over this in 2013, but life’s not all marriage equality and light rail. Annually, we’re downing around $180m through the bandits, $13m of which goes to ‘community causes’ – mostly sport. After expenses, the clubs get enough for around 333 Sky Whales. Given the raging eye-spasms so many suffered over just one fabulous Sky Whale, I think it’s prudent to talk about what we’re really getting for all this society-defining economic activity.

As ClubsACT love to remind us in the comments section of RiotACT, there are some essential community services funded directly from gaming revenue. However, let’s not sugarcoat it. These benefits come directly from people who’ve lost money gambling in a system that guarantees they will lose.

The proliferation of pokies and the elegance with which they obfuscate their primary function totally obliterates any idea that the free will of gamers is any safeguard against problem gambling. Cigarette companies are forbidden from even branding their products, so powerful is the enticement. With pokies, we’re literally letting the machines sing for, play with, and ultimately bribe potential problem gamblers, potential mental health illness sufferers, potential suicide victims.

The incredible lure of the machines sees more people gambling at the Ainslie Football Club on a weekday than cheering for the footy team they’re funding on the weekend. More people gambling at the Tradies Club than attending ALP branch meetings. These examples go to the the huge irony of it all. While there are some direct community benefits, the machines represent a distortion that ultimately punishes those communities that are unable or unwilling to suckle from the neon teat.

The Tuggeranong Hawks learned the hard way that no pokies means no first grade team. Pokies-free bars, restaurants, sports teams – not to mention musicians, artists, theatre-makers etc. – are forever fundamentally less competitive for patrons/revenue/public spaces than venues whose chief product is, essentially, nothing.

What would the Canberra Musicians Club do with the $25m the Vikings make annually? It’s a ridiculous thought, but no less ridiculous for mine than giving the equivalent power to a rugby club. If community groups don’t have sufficient public support to survive the free market or compete for public funding, it’s a fair indicator there isn’t much of a community they’re servicing.

C’mon Labor– the federal party has rejected tobacco money. You own the plantation on this one. Divest and rebuild trust with the non-clubs community.

Let’s go Liberals – this is the government’s Achilles heel. ACT Labor own 500-odd machines. In 1800s-speak that’s like owning 20,000 slaves. I’m not sure what you guys think of abolition, but let’s let it stand as a separate issue.

Mayor King-Maker Shane – I’m not lobbying you, you don’t have the numbers.

The large part of our society that continues to be built around pokies represents a distortion of incentives that, for all the riches reaped, ultimately leaves our community a far poorer place to live in. Get rid of them already.

If nothing else, Queanbeyan will thank us for the boost to their coffers.

Hopefully yours,

xx Chris xx

P.S. Thanks for the marriage equality.

[Image by Threthny (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)]

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A $1 max bet is about a 5 c a line with the older machines particularly the aristocrat type are all 20 lines so 5c a line by max lines is a $1 bet. Newer machines have more lines and “reel power” but I still think $1 max is fine.

I went to a club the other week, where the playground for kids was impressive. The kids were equally impressed with the shiny arcade games next to the playground – half of which appeared to be specially designed gateway-to-gambling devices. It’s all slightly evil.

I like the cut of your jib, Chris.

Screw you, Pokies dens.

pepmeup said :

The original productivity study into pokies suggested at $1 per spin maximum, this would limit losses to about $200 an hour, rather than the $1800 an hour you can currently loose. This seems to be the best idea to me.

Firstly it is low cost implementation for the clubs as machines can easily be changed from dollar machines to 1c machines.

Secondly all those who seem to like to put a few dollars through wont be affected as they will still be able to without “having to get a licence to gamble”

Basically people could still have fun on the machines with out losing the pay check in under an hour.

why shouldn’t we start this in the ACT where the labor party and the unions own most the pokies.

Yep. Though 5c would be much better than $1.

The original productivity study into pokies suggested at $1 per spin maximum, this would limit losses to about $200 an hour, rather than the $1800 an hour you can currently loose. This seems to be the best idea to me.

Firstly it is low cost implementation for the clubs as machines can easily be changed from dollar machines to 1c machines.

Secondly all those who seem to like to put a few dollars through wont be affected as they will still be able to without “having to get a licence to gamble”

Basically people could still have fun on the machines with out losing the pay check in under an hour.

why shouldn’t we start this in the ACT where the labor party and the unions own most the pokies.

the machines represent a distortion that ultimately punishes those communities that are unable or unwilling to suckle from the neon teat.

i believe the author intends, ‘…unwilling to wean from the neon teat.’

nice metaphor, but!

regarding the issue at large, it is a little harsh on clubs, who have come to rely on this income stream, but they have a responsibility, as the op notes. some suggestions herein are good – limit the % of space bandits can make up in recreation areas within a club, pop them away in an enclosed space and, of course, anyway take up the senator’s suggestion to limit the amount a person can spend – precommitment, is it?

as for what the poor stressed tradie/exec/blue rinse set should do – bring back pinnies!

where does one find a decent selection of bally tables to play these days??

Grimm said :

Jim Jones said :

Grimm said :

Or, you know, not blame a machine for certain peoples lack of self control? Maybe expect people to take personal responsibility?

Nah, way easier to blame an inanimate object than the idiot throwing all their money into it.

herp derp personal responsibility herp derp

And rather than blame inanimate objects we should also remove all legislation regarding the sale of alcohol and drugs, firearms, anything to do with transport (cars, bikes, trucks, planes, hovercraft) and so on.

Yeah, lets ignore the fact that pokies are already heavily regulated…

You don’t really get the whole ‘logical debate’ thing, do you?

Ghettosmurf87 said :

It’s like saying anyone that is poor/unsuccessful simply hasn’t tried hard enough or that anyone that anyone who gets beaten up is just too weak.

That’s precisely what US-style fundamentalist Christianity does, and they make billions out of it. The principle is that, if you’re poor, God’s punishing you for not being a good enough Christian and anyone who helps you, specifically through government programs, is flying in the face of God’s will and doing the Devil’s work. Conversely, if you’re rich and successful, that’s God’s reward for being a Good Christian ™. If you want to change your situation, only the church can help you to be a better Christian and, thus, rich and successful. It’s the modern-day equivalent of the medieval sale of plenary indulgences.

Don’t, by any means, underestimate the influence that that kind of thinking has here too, particularly among our newly-elected federal government. It may not be quite so overt, but the principle’s the same: you and no-one else, are responsible for your situation and it’s not government’s job to help you.

Thanks to Grimm for perfectly illustrating the position.

Jim Jones said :

Grimm said :

Or, you know, not blame a machine for certain peoples lack of self control? Maybe expect people to take personal responsibility?

Nah, way easier to blame an inanimate object than the idiot throwing all their money into it.

herp derp personal responsibility herp derp

And rather than blame inanimate objects we should also remove all legislation regarding the sale of alcohol and drugs, firearms, anything to do with transport (cars, bikes, trucks, planes, hovercraft) and so on.

Yeah, lets ignore the fact that pokies are already heavily regulated…

Ghettosmurf873:27 pm 29 Oct 13

Grimm said :

Or, you know, not blame a machine for certain peoples lack of self control? Maybe expect people to take personal responsibility?

Nah, way easier to blame an inanimate object than the idiot throwing all their money into it.

Except that psychological manipulation isn’t just some made-up conspiracy, it exists and it is something that pokie machine manufacturers/operators have bought into big time.

Most people ARE able to maintain their self-control, but the manufactures of pokie machines design them to maximise their ability to latch onto people who are susceptible. It’s why their are all the sounds, the random features, the flashing lights. Hell, while not used in Australia, there have certainly been manufacturers/operators who’ve even employed specific smells to increase the likelihood of people both playing for the first time as well as continuing to play.

Pokies even make people think they’ve “won” when they actually lose, by saying that a return of say 10c from a $1 bet is a “win”, flashing the lights and making the sounds etc, when in fact the person just lost 90c on that spin.

It’s a far more complex version of the classical conditioning methods seen in the age old Pavlov’s Dog psychological manipulation.

A blanket argument that anyone that is actually manipulated by these techniques lacks self-control does not help anyone. It’s like saying anyone that is poor/unsuccessful simply hasn’t tried hard enough or that anyone that anyone who gets beaten up is just too weak.

Grimm said :

Or, you know, not blame a machine for certain peoples lack of self control? Maybe expect people to take personal responsibility?

Nah, way easier to blame an inanimate object than the idiot throwing all their money into it.

herp derp personal responsibility herp derp

And rather than blame inanimate objects we should also remove all legislation regarding the sale of alcohol and drugs, firearms, anything to do with transport (cars, bikes, trucks, planes, hovercraft) and so on.

Or, you know, not blame a machine for certain peoples lack of self control? Maybe expect people to take personal responsibility?

Nah, way easier to blame an inanimate object than the idiot throwing all their money into it.

It might help if they started enforcing the rules about not allowing drunk people to play the pokies. The only time they’re even a little fun is when you’re toasted, I don’t think I’ve ever gone to play the pokies with a clear head.

Actually i think moving the pokies into more enclosed and out of the way areas is a start. And maybe a reduction of pokies as well. Better still suggest to clubs if they won’t reduce their pokie numbers they’ll issue licenses to the casino…. that will get them moving.

Although i’m amazed at how many people put $50-100 a week into lotto as well. Maybe less socially destroying than the poker machines.

As a member of a few social and sports clubs, there is truth in the matter that the licensed clubs do provide a good service. But at the same time they are making money of people who can’t control their gamblings. Like everything the political will to touch poker machines is just not there. The libs won’t do it, because I bet half the problem gamblers vote for liberal anyway.

harvyk1 said :

It’s not just the gambling industry which is guilty of using psychologist’s to push their wears. Stepped foot in a wollies or coles lately? It’s no accident as to the relatively standard layout they have for their stores, and it’s not to help you find things, otherwise they wouldn’t make very slight changes every so often.

It’s psychological manipulation, no question about it. I recommend that you read the classic tome on the subject: The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard.

Still, it’s far less insidious than the pokies. The worst that can happen is that you’ll fall for the ploy and buy an extra chocolate bar or a more expensive brand of detergent. You won’t become hooked and blow your pension cheque on jelly beans.

harvyk1 said :

It’s not just the gambling industry which is guilty of using psychologist’s to push their wears. Stepped foot in a wollies or coles lately? It’s no accident as to the relatively standard layout they have for their stores, and it’s not to help you find things, otherwise they wouldn’t make very slight changes every so often.

My favourite example of this is when Supabarn in Wanniassa moved their cling-wrap and al-foil smack-dab in the middle of the lolly aisle, purely to force parents buying grocery necessities to take their children past all the chocolates and sweets. At least use a bit of subtlety, hey guys?

Katy’s mob are addicted to the funding.

I never disliked pokies until I was talked into trying it a few years back. An “entertainment” so tedious I was increasing my bet to burn more quickly through the $10 or whatever my date had put in.

They are so loud and obnoxious and with a level of engagement lower than even Bejeweled that you can’t even laugh and play together. One plays, the other just sits. Actually the machine plays while everyone sits.

So here’s why I now hate them. In a typical after-work scenario, it’s Friday night, closed by 1am, maybe changed into at least a clean top or touched up the makeup by 130 and arrived by 2. We go to a club because it’s quieter and open late so we can unwind at a normal Friday evening pace. (Imagine your 5pm drinks in Cube at 3am and this all makes perfect sense!) There we sit, me with a white wine, the other girls with a red wine and the boy with an alcopop and we chat. This is very pleasant. Suddenly someone decides to play pokies. Conversation over. If everyone decides to play it’s best to just go home and make a caiprioska.

Deref said :

A while ago I heard a fascinating interview on ABC radio with a psychologist who was employed for a time by one of the big pokie manufacturers. His job was to research the psychology behind the way that the colours, lights and noises push the mental buttons of that particular group of people who become psychologically addicted to pokies. The purpose, of course, was to improve and reinforce those effects. The racket and light shows which are just bloody annoying to most of us work like crack in the brains of a significant minority.

As he became more and more aware of just how incredibly powerful those effects were, and how the manufacturers specifically design their machines to be addictive (while they vociferously deny it), he realised that he couldn’t keep working for them and resigned.

It’s clear that the pokie manufacturers and the clubs are identical to the most cynical of drug pushers, and the harm that they do is just as significant.

That cynicism and predatory behaviour disgust me, but I’ve never believed that prohibition is a solution, either for pokies or other drugs. The solution for pokies seems pretty simple: limit the maximum bet to, say, five cents every 30 seconds. the addicts will still get exactly the same buzz, but the damage will be minimised.

It’s not going to happen of course. The gambling lobby is too powerful and governments are too addicted to the revenue.

It’s not just the gambling industry which is guilty of using psychologist’s to push their wears. Stepped foot in a wollies or coles lately? It’s no accident as to the relatively standard layout they have for their stores, and it’s not to help you find things, otherwise they wouldn’t make very slight changes every so often.

A while ago I heard a fascinating interview on ABC radio with a psychologist who was employed for a time by one of the big pokie manufacturers. His job was to research the psychology behind the way that the colours, lights and noises push the mental buttons of that particular group of people who become psychologically addicted to pokies. The purpose, of course, was to improve and reinforce those effects. The racket and light shows which are just bloody annoying to most of us work like crack in the brains of a significant minority.

As he became more and more aware of just how incredibly powerful those effects were, and how the manufacturers specifically design their machines to be addictive (while they vociferously deny it), he realised that he couldn’t keep working for them and resigned.

It’s clear that the pokie manufacturers and the clubs are identical to the most cynical of drug pushers, and the harm that they do is just as significant.

That cynicism and predatory behaviour disgust me, but I’ve never believed that prohibition is a solution, either for pokies or other drugs. The solution for pokies seems pretty simple: limit the maximum bet to, say, five cents every 30 seconds. the addicts will still get exactly the same buzz, but the damage will be minimised.

It’s not going to happen of course. The gambling lobby is too powerful and governments are too addicted to the revenue.

Think of the innocent bystanders likely to be caught in the battle for the moral high ground! The lilac rinse mob who have a flutter while waiting for the next bingo, the tired overworked brickies labourer who has just popped in for a quiet ale and spin on the way home to his loving wife and family, the frazzled frantic manager who is seeking refuge from the corporate shitstorm. Where would they go? And the CLUBS, standing as one under the great southern cross, how on earth would they continue to make a serious dollar? All those people they employ to assist in their other socially productive feature, selling alcoholic drugs, what would they do if the clubs stopping collecting their poker machine taxes?

No. It is just too hard. Too many uncaring quietly conforming innocents would be hurt if their emotional and psychological walking sticks were suddenly wrenched away and there would be a major disruption to the local alcohol fueled economy. Political parties would suffer!

The status quo must prevail. We owe it to the system. Long may it reign over us.

I admire the letter from the OP. And I agree that pokies need a serious overhaul. But I think he/she is severely underestimating the benefit of clubs to the community.

http://www.cscc.com.au/our-community/social-clubs/
The vast majority of those clubs rely on a free venue to meet. And the Southern Cross Club provides such a venue. These various social clubs have a benefit in that people who would otherwise be stuck at home by themselves (and many of them would be) meet in a place where they can find an interest and meet others who share that interest. These people would most likely not meet in any other circumstance. I know that the Southern Cross Club is not the only club that provides such a service.

I am fully aware that these clubs should not be funded by problem gamblers. Which leads me to say that I am against banning of poker machines. This is because people who would usually go to the club to go to the pokies will simply move to using poker machines on the internet which is even worse as there is no one to monitor them.

What there should be is a drastic reduction in amount of pokies. If there are say a maximum of 10-15 pokies in each club (instead of over 50 at some at the moment), the amount of people using them will decrease. Simple supply/demand. If someone turns up to their local club to go to the pokies but all are full, they are more likely to hang around at the club to wait for one to become free. While waiting they can benefit from a socialising with others over a game of pool, watching the game on TV or a social club (see link above). If they know that there going to be no pokies free, then it is highly probable they will turn to online gambling which is just shifting the problem.

As some harvyk1 said (1st reply), we need to remove poker machines from being the focal point about clubs and get back to clubs being a social meeting place. I strongly believe clubs are part of the solation for the amount of isolated people in this world.

Disclaimer: I do not work or have any affiliation with the Southern Cross Club other than attending one of the social groups listed on that page. I have also had gambling problems in the past, but this was not due to pokies, due to sports betting online (a whole new issue)

So what becomes of my occasional cheeky slap on the pokies? Would I have to go to NSW to do that?

I think the Polo ditched their pokies 5 or so years ago. Along with the CMC they’ve shown you can thrive without them.

I always approach “open letters” with a heavy heart, because they are always…always…pompous diatribes produced by tedious bores.

Until Now!

That’s the best open letter I’ve ever read by a long shot, and what’s more, I agree with everything in it. There’s a new experience every day on RiotAct! 🙂

Onya Chris. Stick it to ’em.

gazket said :

people loose thousands, Millions, even Billions gambling on the stock exchange every day, there’s no difference.

The stock market isn’t committed to returning only 87%* of your initial investment. In fact the stock market is a good way of increasing your wealth over time. The people who lose out tend to be the ones who try for risky short term gains.

* – I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere around 87%.

gazket said :

people loose thousands, Millions, even Billions gambling on the stock exchange every day, there’s no difference.

You can’t tell the difference between the stock market and poker machines?

nice to know 1 pokie is worth .025 of a human slave.

“The incredible lure of the machines”
If you get sucked into thinking a poker machine is your friend well that’s your fault for being week and stupid.

people loose thousands, Millions, even Billions gambling on the stock exchange every day, there’s no difference.

thebrownstreak693:49 pm 28 Oct 13

Other than taking money from already financially vulnerable people, the pokies serve no real purpose.\

Get rid of the lot.

Here’s the Greens policy, showing you don’t really need to lobby them regardless of your irrelevant opinion about the numbers: http://greens.org.au/dollar-bet-limits

Ghettosmurf873:39 pm 28 Oct 13

Felix the Cat said :

While I agree in principal and not being a pokie player myself, won’t people just go elsewhere to gamble their money such as online or TAB?

Not really.

The pokies attract people who aren’t really “gamblers” as such, as they are highly accessible and require little to no thought to play.

While plenty of people also lose their life-savings on punting (dogs, trots, sport) and these people are often also found using pokies, I would suggest that they are a quite different crowd to those who only gamble exclusively on the pokies.

It saddens me to see the seniors down at the Ainslie Footy Club/Tradies/Yowani Gold Club who sit at a pokie for hours on end frittering away their pension. It’s like they are seeking the feedback from the flashing lights and noises of the pokie, possibly because they feel neglected by their relatives who never communicate with them anymore.

If the clubs got rid of the pokies and instead held actual community events/gigs/etc and provide facilities that encouraged social interaction, rather than drawing people into being mindless zombies in front of a pokie screen, then perhaps these people might once again feel like they are part of the community, though I fear such times are gone.

Felix the Cat3:15 pm 28 Oct 13

While I agree in principal and not being a pokie player myself, won’t people just go elsewhere to gamble their money such as online or TAB?

The Whitlams’ “Blow Up The Pokies” was written for Andy Lewis, their former bass player. He later committed suicide. Lewis also played with The Plunderers and The Gadflys. He was from Canberra.

Not really a contribution to the debate; just a a couple of kind-of relevant facts I thought I’d share.

I really like the idea of an ACT air force made up of 333 Skywhales.

I’m not apposed to pokies in clubs, and every so often when I’m at a club and drinking a beer I’ll think nothing of throwing a couple of spare dollars into a machine. What I do have an objection to however is the removal of pool tables, lounge area’s and other non gambling entertainment to make space for more machines, in effect building mini casino’s under the guise of a “community” organisation.

What I would like to see is a maximum percentage of “gaming” space which is allowed for pokies. For example a club may have no more than 10% of it’s space dedicated to the machines.

I’d also like to see the machines be moved to a room away from general seating. Again it’s not stopping people who like to put a few dollars into the machines, but it’s no longer the focal point of going to the local club.

Just my 2c.

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