Victorians spend more than $7.4 million a day on casino, but only 17000 gambler have signed a plan to limit their losses.
(photo source: Herald Sun)
The Herald Sun reveals that of those 17000 gambler, only 3867 use spontaneous YourPlay systems to set up personalised information that jumps out on a poker machine when they reach the game limit.
More than three years after Australia's first pre-promised plan was launched, anti-poker activists are now calling on the Andrews government to abandon the program, calling it "totally meaningless" in helping the problem gambler.
Last year, Victorian losses on the state's 26,000 poker machines hit a record A $2.7 billion, or A $420 per person.
The A $ one hundred and ninety six million nine hundred and ninety nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine YourPlay pre-commitment system allows gambler to track its own expenses and set its own time and money caps on any machine.
But there are only 17093 YourPlay poker games registered and 52694 more casual card games have been activated.
There are only 17093 YourPlay poker games released (photo source: the Herald Sun)
The plan was scheduled for a large-scale review in mid-2016, but the government continued to delay.
Game minister Marlene Kairouz says the review will end in June. "at the end of this review, there will be government to consider whether to continue the plan," she said. But we hope to continue with the plan. "
According to speaker Tim Costello of gambling's reform of alliance, the YourPlay system "is actually a small episode in the gambling world of problems."
"A voluntary commitment is like a voluntary brake in a car," he said. "either you put it in the car and use it, or it's just an ornament for those who destroy themselves through gambling," he said. Government needs more effective measures to reduce the risk of gambling. "
The latest data show that YourPlay has sent more than 14 million responsible gambling messages.
Gambling reformed alliance's speaker Tim Costello (Photo Source: the Herald Sun)
Costello said the information did not exceed the "highly deceptive, temptation and addictive" nature of the poker machine.
He called on the state government to introduce a A $1 gambling limit and set an hourly loss of A $120.
Kairouz said government was working through reforms to address the gambling, including freezing the number of poker machines and limiting cash withdrawals from casino.