51 Tas candidates pledge to fight for critical gambling reform – Alliance survey of all candidates yields no response from major parties

A survey of all Tasmanian election candidates has revealed that 51 potential MPs are committed to fight for the introduction of a ‘gold standard’, poker machine cashless card in the next session of parliament.

However, the Alliance’s Chief Advocate, Tim Costello, is alarmed that while the public strongly backs reform the two major parties are retreating with no candidates from either the Liberals or Labor expressing their support.

“This election is a critical opportunity for Tasmania to finally tackle the horrendous damage that gambling is wreaking on this state,” Rev. Costello said.

“After both the major parties previously committed to a gold standard, mandatory, pre-commitment, cashless card, it is alarming to witness the collapse of this support in our poll of candidates due to the bullying of a ruthless gambling industry.”

Rev. Costello said it was critical that Tasmanians put pressure on their local candidates to support nation-leading reform.

Poker machines are clustered in Tasmania’s most disadvantaged suburbs and Tasmanians lose over $500,000 every single day to poker machines. Close to half the money taken by pokies comes from people with a gambling problem and on average, for every person with is impacted by poker machines, seven people around them are also being harmed.

The Alliance emailed every candidate in the up-coming Tasmanian poll asking:

If elected, will you support the introduction of a mandatory pre-commitment card for poker machines in Tasmania during this next term of government?

Tasmanian based advocate for the Alliance, Mark Kempster, who lost $100,000s to gambling, said other ‘solutions’ such as facial recognition technology are a sham.

"Facial recognition will not have any meaningful impact on the cancer that are poker machines and will not do anything to prevent gambling harm and addiction from occurring,” he said.

“It's time our governments and major parties listened to people like me who have lived through the damage gambling addiction does, not the pokies barons in this state who only care about their bottom line. They don't care about the harm and destruction they are causing."

A full list of candidates who support gambling reform can be found here.