Losers get more pokies
Danny Buttler, gaming reporter
19sep05

Herald-Sun

POKIES operators can shift machines to venues where players lose more.

Since 2004, Victoria's gambling watchdog has granted 93 per cent of applications for extra machines in venues.

Of 25 applications to the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation, only two have been refused over the past 20 months.

In that time, the VCGR approved 272 extra machines, while knocking back applications for just 22 machines.

From 2001-2003 the commission's predecessor -- the Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority -- approved just over half of such applications.

Anti-gaming advocates have accused the VCGR of allowing operators to move machines to venues where players have been making large losses.

Interchurch Gambling Taskforce spokesman Mark Zirnsak said a rise in poker machine revenue usually came from the pockets of those who could least afford it.

"(Operators) want to maximise profit with a disregard for the social consequences of the harm they're doing to the community," Mr Zirnsak said.

The VCGR said all applications were assessed within the laws laid down by the State Government.

"There is a test in the legislation which must be applied," acting executive commissioner Sylvia Grobtuch said.

"The test requires the commission to decide whether the net economic and social impact of a proposal for gaming machines will be detrimental to the community . . . if so, the application must be refused."

Tabcorp and Tattersall's said machines in underperforming venues usually moved within the same municipality.

"The relocation of machines is in response to the changing demands and preferences that our customers experience over time," a Tabcorp spokesman said.

Mr Zirnsak said the hearing process was flawed and skewed against objectors who couldn't afford to hire consultants to put their case as the gaming industry could.

Tragic gambling toll
Danny Buttler, gaming reporter
19sep05

Herald-Sun

DESPERATE Victorian gambling addicts are taking their own lives at a rate of more than one every three weeks.

A Herald Sun investigation has uncovered the human toll of our state's addiction to poker machines.

Among the tragic tales was a Melbourne pokies addict who committed suicide within minutes of losing his last $300 at a 24-hour gaming venue.

Victorian Coroners Court statistics, released for the first time, showed at least 70 gambling addicts or their partners had killed themselves since June 2001.

The report warned the death toll could be just the tip of the iceberg, claiming that "figures provided may be an under-representation of relevant deaths".

The National Coroners Information System compiled the report using Victorian coronial findings from June 2001 to June 2005.

Of the 70 gambling-related deaths, 68 were suicides by addicts. Two deaths were of addicts' partners.

The vast majority of gambling-related deaths involved men, with more than half of all fatalities involving people aged 30-50.

Coroners' findings listed poker machines as the most common form of gambling that led to death, while roulette and horse racing were listed as factors in two deaths.

Victorians lost almost $2.4 billion on 27,000 poker machines last year, with more than $1.37 billion collected by the State Government in gambling taxes.

"Lenny" was one of those who paid the ultimate price for his gambling addiction.

A European immigrant, Lenny had the misfortune to arrive in Melbourne just as the state's gambling industry exploded.

Lenny and his family -- who did not want him identified -- came from a country with no legal gambling industry.

Within months of him moving to Melbourne, Crown casino had its grand opening and Lenny was one of the first through the doors.

"That year I remember the casino opened and my father started to go there and gamble," said his son's statement to the coroner.

"At first it was just every now and then, but he ended up going more and more."

Years of addiction followed for Lenny, who could find relief from his gambling mania only by returning to his homeland for two years.

But once back in Victoria, there was no avoiding the pokies palaces around his inner-city neighbourhood.

In late 2002, Lenny spent his last desperate hours playing Tatts Pokies at a hotel in Richmond, losing the $300 he had stolen from his sleeping wife's purse.

Cameras showed him gambling for 90 minutes before leaving at 5am.

He was found dead an hour later.

Problem gambling counsellors said the tales told to coroners only scratched the surface.

Gamblers Help northern manager Julie Nelson said: "It's very easy to minimise the effect -- I know of suicides which were gambling-related, but in the coronial inquest they said it was because of family failure or business failure."

And for every suicide, Ms Nelson said there were many gambling addicts who were brought back from the brink.

"We have a lot of people who say they have thought about it, certainly contemplated suicide . . . but most of those people have been able to find enough reasons to go on," she said.

"It often coincides with financial disaster and a feeling of hopelessness."

Community Action on Pokie Problems chairman Mike Hill said the coronial figures had confirmed his worst fears.

"Up until you presented me with these figures, we had a lot of anecdotal stuff about gamblers taking their own lives," Mr Hill said.

"It highlights the nature of gambling addictions -- you probably don't find addicted people in other areas taking their own lives with that sort of frequency.

"There's shame and stigma that is often associated with gambling.

"People are less likely to declare that gambling has led to such drastic action."

Bright lights to ultimate darkness
Mark Buttler, chief police reporter
19sep05

Herald-Sun

A SUCCESSFUL career woman turned pokies addict plundered $200,000 from her parents' retirement fund before killing herself in a Crown hotel room.

Susan's poker machine addiction generated terrible heartache for friends and family long before she took her life.

She stole from family and friends as her life, also marred by depression, spiralled downwards.

Her parents were forced to sell the family home when they discovered, too late, that their daughter had stolen their life savings.

Susan, an attractive former gym instructor, conned her closest friend out of $30,000 in a sham property deal.

"I later found out that there was no investment and that she had a large problem with poker machines and that she had been pressuring other people for more money," the friend said in a police statement.

In the months before her death, Susan even stole her brother's golf clubs and sold them at a pawn shop.

It was around this time she was charged with deception and placed on an intensive corrections disorder.

Susan told her father she had a job and a home, but she had neither.

She'd lost her job as a sales representative with a major pharmaceutical company in the period before her death.

She was a member of Crown's VIP Slots Club and had been gambling there for at least 18 months.

Coroner Francis Hender's record of investigation stated that 12 months before her death, Susan was diagnosed with depression.

"She also developed a chronic gambling problem, resulting in a large amount of debt, deception and fraud," Mr Hender said.

 Deadly cost of pokies

19sep05
Herald-Sun (Editorial)

IT is a tragedy that 70 Victorians have taken their lives while in the grip of a gambling addiction.

The machines take $2.4 billion annually out of the Victorian community -- $1.37 billion of which goes into government coffers as tax.

A significant part of that revenue should be used to pay for rigorous studies into the impact of poker machines, and fund support networks for those who cannot control their gambling.

Where are the support mechanisms that are supposed to act as a safety net for those vulnerable people who are dangerously addicted to gaming?

Why is nobody watching to see how many people feel so desperate about their situation they can see no way out but to end their life?

The State Government, hooked on the revenue it receives from the 27,000 poker machines operating in this state, has its head in the sand when it comes to confronting the real cost of these machines.

It is time for a wide-reaching social and economic impact study into the true effect of poker machines on the lives of everyday Victorians.

Tabcorp in $1b Townsville development

September 14, 2005

Sydney Morning Herald

Tabcorp Holdings and Consolidated Properties, an associate of the listed Trinity Consolidated, have won approval from the Queensland Government for a $1 billion lifestyle precinct in Townsville, which includes a new cruise ship terminal.

The Queensland Deputy Premier, Anna Bligh, said the Government would contribute $15 million to the new cruise ship terminal, which would have the potential to cater for up to 40,000 visitors a year.

The Ocean Terminal will be developed on the Western Breakwater, adjacent to the Port of Townsville.

The Townsville site will include a marina, integrated commercial and residential development on the land surrounding Tabcorp's Jupiters Casino and a landscape development to provide public access to the breakwater and future green areas.

Tabcorp managing director Matthew Slatter said the development and cruise ship terminal would bring enormous benefits to Townsville and all of North Queensland.

"This will become a vibrant precinct and offer tremendous lifestyle benefits for local residents and visitors to Townsville," Mr Slatter said.

"Tabcorp believes the exciting redevelopment plan and cruise port will further strengthen Townsville's economy and tourism appeal, bringing substantial economic benefits to the region."

Tabcorp's Breakwater Casino will provide the land component for the joint venture while Consolidated Properties will be directly responsible for delivering the project.

It will be managed by Peter Trathen, chief executive of City Pacific Project Management, part of the City Pacific investment group.

Mr Trathen said he expected that work on the project would commence in mid 2006.

"Opportunities to be involved in the project will be offered to local suppliers and we expect the development will inject a massive $3 billion into the local economy," he said.

The contract was won as the Midwood Report was released showing that Queensland was growing rapidly on all fronts of office and residential demand.

Mayor wants pokies ban
JEMMA CHAPMAN
13sep05

The Advertiser

SALISBURY Mayor Tony Zappia has called for a total phasing out of gaming machines in South Australia, after his vulnerable region again topped the list for the highest spending on gaming machines in the state.

Mr Zappia said yesterday pokies losses were increasing at a faster rate than the population growth in Salisbury.

He was responding to State Government figures published in The Advertiser yesterday, showing that people gambled away nearly $70 million on pokies in Salisbury last financial year.

This was a $3 million increase on the previous year, in an area that has fewer venues than many other SA regions.

"The people who lose the most money are often the people in the greatest need, who in sheer desperation turn to poker machines hoping that their luck might change," Mr Zappia said. "I would like machines phased out altogether."

He called for a 10-year phase-out of pokies, to give hoteliers time to cull machine numbers.

His calls have been supported by No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon, who has unsuccessfully attempted to get legislation through State Parliament to phase out machines.

Mr Zappia said an independent survey conducted in Salisbury in 2001 found 71 per cent of residents believed there should be a reduction in poker machine numbers, with 59 per cent supporting a significant reduction.

However, the Government and Opposition yesterday rejected suggestions for a phase-out.

"All of the IGA's recommendations on cutting machines and venues were brought forward by the Government in its amendments to the Gaming Machines Act," Gambling Minister Michael Wright said. "The Parliament endorsed a 20 per cent cut in gaming machines, however clubs were exempt."

Opposition gambling spokesman Robert Brokenshire said a phase-out "won't work" because it would cause litigation problems from the hotel industry.

"The answer would be to put in more counselling services, more early intervention programs to get to the root cause of the problem," he said.

 Last Update: Tuesday, September 13, 2005. 8:31pm (AEST)

ABCNewsonline

Pokies tax worries rejected

ACT Treasurer Ted Quinlan has rejected suggestions the Territory Government's move to increase poker machine tax will drive Canberra clubs out of business.

The union that runs the Dickson and Woden Tradies Clubs says the increase in taxes from 2007, on top of the ACT Government's smoking ban, could see up to one club go bankrupt every fortnight.

The union says it was also considering becoming a major sponsor of the Canberra Raiders but has had to reconsider because of the tax.

But Mr Quinlan says licensed clubs in the ACT pay the lowest tax of any jurisdiction and will still be in a strong position after the tax increase.

"In the overall context we need to implement measures that mitigate against problem gambling and this Government will do so," he said.

"We also need to generate out of the various activities in our community sufficient funds to provide all those services that the community needs and that unfortunately involves taxation."

Mr Quinlan says the Government must act to reduce problem gambling.

"I'm sure that the Raiders themselves would not want to succeed on the back of misery brought by problem gambling and the Government has introduced schemes in order to mitigate problem gambling and I think that's reasonable," he said.

12sep05
Herald Sun

HORSERACING pay TV company ThoroughVision has rejected a plan by Tabcorp Holdings to end a bitter dispute and is drafting a counter proposal.

TVN's rejection of the out of court settlement proposal comes as the two companies are fighting in the federal court over TVN's allegations that Tabcorp and its Sky Channel subsidiary conspired to injure TVN's business.

"The TVN Board resolved to not accept the proposal on the grounds that it did not provide any commercial benefit to TVN," the pay TV company said in a statement yesterday.

"After careful consideration at both board and shareholder level, TVN has concluded that the best way forward is to propose terms that deliver some benefit to TVN."

TVN shows the Victorian and Sydney races while Tabcorp's Sky broadcasts all other thoroughbred racing coverage as well as greyhound and harness racing and some overseas racing.

TVN has alleged that Sky Channel's use of first-and-last-right refusal over broadcast rights and locking up distribution avenues were anti-competitive.

It also has alleged that Tabcorp and Sky Channel have acted in concert with each other, causing substantial damage to its business.

The TVN board alleges that the two companies acted in what it said amounts to a conspiracy to injure its economic interests.

TVN has also alleged Tabcorp has misused its market power to prevent the transmission of the TVN channel to TAB betting agencies.

The pay TV company said Tabcorp's proposal was considered following a report from the TVN executive team.

TVN also spoke with financial consultants from global investment bank Merrill Lynch.

 INTERNATIONAL

Gambling sites could be damaging economy by boosting consumer debt

icWales

New Zealand pubs must identify gambling addicts

OnlineCasino.org | 13.09.2005 | 06:26:38 |

The New Zealand pubs are now required to identify and ban gambling addicts.

According to stuff.co.nz new laws forces New Zealand pubs to identify and ban gambling addicts or face fines up to $10.000.

"The new laws take effect at the beginning of next month."

"The new laws make it mandatory for gambling venues to act to minimise or prevent the harm caused by problem gambling."

"Current research shows that one in five people who use gaming machines regularly – once a week – will at some stage have problems with gambling addiction."

"New Zealanders spent just over $1 billion on the 21,846 gaming machines in the country – 477 in Palmerston North city – and more than $2 billion in casinos, in the year to June 30, 2005."