'That means we need to ask the question, why is that?' Financial hardship resources: 'We know these products are harmful, we know that they impact on some of the most vulnerable in our communities, but we also have governments who are reluctant to do anything about it. The Queensland government launched a four-year gambling harm minimisation plan in July last year, aiming to strengthen regulation, create a socially responsible industry and reduce gambling harm.īut in the first seven months of 2022, pokies losses in the state's pubs and clubs have risen by more than 9 per cent year-on-year - higher than the rate of inflation.ĭeakin University gambling researcher Professor Samantha Thomas was scathing in her assessment of what she said had been years of government inaction in the face of overwhelming evidence that poker machines in pubs and clubs were harmful. It is not a small problem, it's a hidden problem.'
'There are hundreds of thousands of us I would think. 'I don't believe they're a safe product for anybody,' Ms Bardsley said. The July figure equates to a loss of more than $750 for every Queensland pokies player, an amount labelled 'horrifying' by former pokies addict, turned gambling reform advocate, Anna Bardsley. Gambling researchers have called for urgent regulatory action to address community harm caused by EGMs, but the Queensland government said it was not looking to reduce their numbers.
