From Down Under – Austrailia

March 23, 2008

Kevin Rudd’s plan to break gambling addiction

AUTOMATIC teller machines will be banned in pokie venues in Victoria from 2012 in a war on problem gambling, Premier John Brumby has announced.

Victoria will become the first Australian state to ban the ATMs from the floor of pokies venues.

Cash machines will be banned from the end of 2012, when Victoria’s existing gaming licensing arrangements end.

Some venues in country Victoria may be exempt from the ban, in towns where there are limited numbers of ATMs.

Mr Brumby said he was not sure whether venues with multiple entertainment areas would be allowed to have ATMs in non-gaming areas, but that detail would be revealed when the new laws were introduced.

The Victorian Government is expected to announce the structure of its new gaming licences in coming weeks.

Mr Brumby said the bans could not be introduced any sooner because they were not part of existing licences.

“It hasn’t been a condition of existing licences. It does require the co-operation of the commonwealth (which controls banking regulations) and what I’ve indicated to you today is that we will be talking to the industry about a transition plan up to 2012.

Mr Brumby said he proposed the plan to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at a recent meeting and won the Prime Minister’s support.

“I said to the Prime Minister on Monday that I would be making an announcement this week and as part of that announcement I would be indicating that ATM machines would be removed from gaming venues,” Mr Brumby said.

“So I indicated that to him and, obviously, he thinks that’s a very good idea.”

Mr Brumby said he did not know what sort of effect it would have on pokie revenues.

Victoria collects close to $1 billion in tax from poker machines each year.

The move comes as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd mooted a similar ban nationwide.

The new Rudd Government war on problem gambling, revealed in today’s Herald Sun, has ordered that a review examine a reduction in pokie spin rates and the introduction of smartcard technology to stem surging losses.

For the full story written by Michael Warner and Ellen Whinnett visit

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