Anglicare Tasmania has released a policy brief on options for reducing harm from electronic gaming machines (EGMs), following the Tasmanian Government’s announcement on 19 November 2024 that the introduction of a universal, mandatory pre-commitment gaming card is to be deferred indefinitely.
Poker machines are the most harmful form of gambling in Tasmania, with more than 31,000 people experiencing harm in the past year. The Anglicare paper reviewed a variety of options for reducing and minimising gambling harm. It estimates that facial recognition technology would reduce gambling harm by less than 3.5% at best, which is ineffective considering the scale of the problem. In comparison, universal, mandatory pre-commitment is an effective reform, estimated to reduce gambling-related harm by 40-60%. The only comparable option in terms of effectiveness would be confining poker machines to casinos.
TasCOSS endorses Anglicare’s evidence-informed recommendations and calls on the Government to provide details of the costs underpinning their decision and clearly set out how they are going to meet their policy objective to reduce gambling harm.