Here are some suggestions. I don't expect governments which are by now hooked on the money the pokies are pulling in to take these seriously.

1. Machines should be silent. Let's get rid of the repetitive and different sounds which create an atmosphere of winning. Players all look at someone when a particular tune is played because that tune means "big winner." I've also noticed players leave a machine where the sound is not working and go to one with sound.

2.If a player bets 10 and receives back 20 the machine has written on it win 20. That should be made win 10 - the actual profit. If a player bets 10 and receives back 0 the machine has written on it win 0. That should be made lose 10. Let's actually remind players as they play that thay are actually losing rather than winning.

3.All non winning combinations should be programmed to appear in line with their true chances. So four out of five in a line should be made to appear the right statistical amount. They appear much more often than the correct odds of it happening and are designed to make players keep betting because there was nearly a big collect.

4. True odds for all payouts should appear. Eg if a line of three pays even money the true odds should be next to the payout - 5/1 or worse?

Don't be a wowser. That is silly. Why try and stop our fun?

Good ideas - but you are right the state governments are too dependent on the money to actually do something about it. I would also like to see:

5. Machines should be limited in the amount that can be wagered per "game". eg. maximum of a few dollars per game

6. Machines that accept notes should be banned - if people have to get up to go to a cashier to change their $100 grocery money to coins they are less likely to do it (and the club/pub has better chance of detecting problem gamblers).

7. Even better would be to make all machines accept tokens rather than money.

8. Each pub/club/casino should be required to display how much PROFIT the venue has made from poker machines in the last week/month/year.

It was interesting last year (or was it the year before) when the Coward government was trying to ban online gambling they were very big on stopping problem gamblers but when an interviewer pointed out that the majority of problem gamblers are using poker machines there was "nothing that could be done - poker machines are a state issue"

[ This Message was edited by: becareful on 2002-05-27 10:22 ]

I think becareful's point 7 is the most crucial.
If we could stop the desperates from emptying their wallets and make them go to a window and "buy" tokens which have a value of no more than .20c each and then make the machines accept no more than say $1 per spin, that might curb things a bit.

The State Govt of NSW has let this anti-social, highly addictive cancer spread throughout the State unchecked. The pokie barons are driving Rollers, the Govt are collecting $$$ they wouldn't have dreamt of 10 years ago and the 10% or so of players who have a serious, habitual problem are taking food out of their kids mouths.
Carr's answer is to put stickers on machines inviting the player to ring a number if they have a problem. That is like putting a warning on a hypodermic needle and handing it to a junkie who is overdue for his next hit.

The ironic part about pokies and their newfound capacity to eat $100 notes is that the same idiotic Carr Govt legislated that the NSWTAB could now only accept $200 per day in credit card deposits into phone accounts. I am not arguing the rights and wrongs of that idea but merely highlighting the hypocrisy and the contempt with which racing punters are held in NSW. I bet bookmakers wish they were offered the same latitude in this state that pokie barons are.

The Aussie Pub as I knew it is a thing of the past. Live bands and conversation replaced by a breed of zombies with their disappearing paypackets. The greedy publicans who lobbyed to get the machines so they could offer beer prices competitive with the clubs still charge their old prices and pocket the proceeds of the bandits.

Carr doesn't care. The govt is rolling in money, he's never set foot in a Pub anyway and he is socially and morally bankrupt. Perhaps the new Premier next year will have the courage to stem the tide. But I won't hold my breath.

Hmmm pokies ugggh!!!

Pokies should be a social "fun" event where someone chooses to "flutter" $10 or $20 dollars - it is ridiculous that I have seen people stash thousands into machines over the course of two to three hours...they have no chance to recoup losses - NONE.

Warnings, tokens, etc do absolutely nothing to stop someone who is chasing losses or has a gambling problem. The only way is to limit the amount a machine will accept.
I have never ever seen a pokie venue try to stop a manic gambler and I don't think I ever will.
The whole pub atmosphere has been destroyed by the evil ones. (one armed bandits). It used to be a great place to catch live bands in the 80's and now live bands have all but died. It is destroying the musical culture as well as families.
Racing is different. You don't press a button every 2 seconds and watch your money flush - with a bit of skill...not luck, you can win in the longrun. With pokies it is impossible to win in the longrun.

So how does it feel the other 99% of the time when you walk away having done all your money?

Some people gamble for various reasons.
...I mean this in the nicest possible way...If it makes you feel important because you win a little but lose alot, then this is a danger sign of someone with perhaps a vulnerability to having a gambling problem.
Just a suggestion and not intended to offend.

[ This Message was edited by: quapi on 2003-01-30 21:00 ]

Umm - yes there is a lot of harm in that when the US (gamblers) always lose and the THEM (machines) always win.

There was an interesting article in Canberra Times on Sunday re. problem gamblers and more than 80% of the people seeking help with problem gambling are poker machine players. Some comments you may be able to relate to:
"Wins are usually immediately rewagered"
"The gambling activity generally starts as an attempt to make their life more interesting and exciting"
"Children learn that Mum or Dad can usually find money for the poker machines but the child is denied things they want or need"

I agree with EI - if you are playing the machines several times a week or for extended periods of time then seek help before it is too late (a good start is to track EXACTLY how much money you are putting into the machines and then think what that could buy you or your family). If you are getting good wins but keep playing until it is all gone then I suspect you do have a problem with it.


[ This Message was edited by: quapi on 2003-01-30 21:02 ]

I don't think anyone has a problem with their existance. The problem is their capacity to take thousands of dollars from one player with zero chance of that person winning in the long run.
Also, the sheer number of them is a concern.
The social players ( ie $10 and $20 ) shouldn't have a problem in limiting the machines to per spin maximum should they?
Surely you can distinguish between the Nursing Home outings and the people who steal/embezzle to feed their addiction.

Limiting machines in some way would help

[ This Message was edited by: quapi on 2003-01-30 21:02 ]

Whilst I whole-heartedly agree with the comments re limitations and restrictions we will never see them banned completely. Simple band aid measures will be regularly introduced to appease the opponents.

Too much money, both over AND under the table, is involved.

Australia is so far behind on issues relating to the investigation of gambling addictions it is laughable. For example, there has NEVER been any auto-ethnographic type research done in this country despite gambling being the No 1 cause for addiction related suicides.

Maybe somebody should send a copy of Dostoyevsky's "The Gambler" to all state and federal ministers for compulsory reading?