"...The issue here is poker machines and the tiny percentage of people who are addicted to playing them (2% of the 40% of people that play)...Boofy "
Boofy using your 2% figure means that there are between 1 and 2 million problem gamblers in Australia.
If you add the family that are affected by the problem gambling, you would come up with around 2 to 4 million people affected by problem gambling.
From the Liberal Nationals Coalition paper on gambling, "The Productivity Commission’s report identified the private and social costs of problem gambling across Australia as being between $1.1 billion to $5.2 billion annually."
According to a survey of 1,004 people, 67% of Australians support the proposed gambling reforms, with only 25% of respondents indicating they oppose the reforms.
An Essential Research Poll released yesterday (October 11, 2011) showed 52 per cent of Liberal/Nationals voters backed the controversial idea of pre-commitment technology for poker machines while 41 per cent were opposed.
Misc. info on previous trials and planned Pre-commitment initiatives below ___________________________________________________________
South Australia and Queensland have had trials of Pre-commitment systems.
Victoria plan to implement Pre-commitment systems.
Baillieu Government will ensure pre-commitment devices will be fitted to all gaming machines to limit player losses and the damage that problem gamblers do to themselves, their families and their communities.
