South Australia Changes Pokie Laws

State councillors in South Australia are making plans to change pokie laws. They want to give operators the chance to either add or remove pokies to categorize themselves into a ‘major’ or ‘minor’ category, a strategy that is expected to reduce problem gambling rates in the state.

Major clubs have 60 or more pokies. So, many clubs that want that classification will have to add machines. However, they will have to implement harm minimisation strategies, including equipping all of the games with voluntary pre-commitment software.

Minor clubs have 20 pokies or less. These games will not be required to have pre-commitment software, but the club cannot depend on pokies as their main source of income.

SA politicians claim that these new provisions will help to reduce the number of poker machines in the state, thus reducing the number of problem gambling cases. However, Senator Nick Xenophon is not convinced. He has spoken out against the plan, calling it a ‘con’. A well-known responsible gambling advocate, Senator Xenophon believes that the new plan will be ineffective in curbing problem gambling rates and will only add more poker machines into the community.