Assuming the figure is around 176,000 problem gamblers let's consider for a moment what that actually means:
. 176,000 people losing money they can't afford to lose & who will continue to do so - people in need of HELP from the community & therefore consumers of welfare resources.
. If even 60% of those people have families we have 100,000 families seriously impacted by the absence of the gambler, loss of money & other related issues - as well as their wider families & friends.
. Some desperate people beg, borrow & steal to feed their addictions - the world of loan sharks, crime & violence about which you appear to have no knowledge.
I admit to having played the pokies as part of membership of a golf club that delivered cheap membership fees - over a period of 3 years my pokie losses approximated the savings in my fees. A zero end game that provided me with insights into most aspects of poker machine addiction.
Although in a nursing home my Mum still likes to have 'an occasional small flutter'. She always pre-commits how much she is prepared to lose - normally $20.
So Boofy, we are not talking about banning poker machines, just addressing the issue of responsible behaviour - something most people do now & who therefore the change will make no real difference to.
