'SHOCKING' SA RESULT SHOWS THAT WE LEAD THE NATION IN THE RATE IN INCREASE OF GAMBLING LOSSES

RELEASE OF NATIONAL GAMBLING STATS PROMPTS CALL FOR NATIONAL SUMMIT ON GAMBLING LOSSES

The release of national gambling loss statistics from the Tasmanian Gaming Commission early today has prompted calls from No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon for a National Summit on Gambling Losses.

The Commission’s compilation of statistics for the 2002/2003 year revealed:

· Turnover on gambling has increased to $128.3 billion for the 2002/03 year with losses at $15.36 billion.

· Pokies losses made up over $9 billion or almost 60% of the losses – with the slow down in the rate of losses being largely due to the Victorian Government’s decision to ban smoking in pokies venues from 1 September 2002 .

· South Australia had the highest level of increase in gambling losses from lotteries, pokies and casino gambling at 9.25% compared with the national average of 2.39% (and a reduction in Victoria of - 4.1%).

Mr. Xenophon said the level of gambling losses around the country, and particularly in SA showed that it was at an “unacceptably high level given the enormous human and economic costs that are involved”.

Mr. Xenophon pointed to the Productivity Commission’s Report on Australia’s Gambling Industries released in December 1999 which showed there were 290,000 problem gamblers (65%-80% due to poker machines) with each problem gambler affecting the lives of seven others.

“The South Australian Figures show that the rhetoric of the former Liberal Government and current Labor Government amounts to little more than a bunch of weasel words rather than substantial policies to impact on gambling addiction”.

“The Productivity Commission’s Report of four and a half years ago revealed that Australia had the highest level of per capita gambling losses in the world, with problem gambling rates to match. The level of gambling harm was unacceptable back then, and it’s more so now that gambling losses are almost $2 billion higher than when the Productivity Commission Report was released”.

Mr. Xenophon said that a National Gambling Summit was required “as a matter of urgency because both the States and the Commonwealth had proved to be incapable of tackling the massive level of gambling losses and associated harm head-on”

“A National Summit could well force the States and the Commonwealth to confront the harm caused by the ‘jackpot mentality’ of the States which are currently collecting over $3.95 billion from racing and ‘gaming’ alone a year in gambling taxes, and the Commonwealth’s ‘hands off’ approach”.

“The Commonwealth Government has got a key role to play here both in terms of its banking powers (it has the power to ban ATMs from pokies venues – a key driver in levels of gambling addiction) as well as pushing for changes to the formula for grants to the States to have some real incentive for the States to wean themselves off gambling taxes”.

Written and authorised by Nick Xenophon, 653 Lower North East Road, Paradise, SA 5075