Addiction experts in New South Wales blasted as “seriously misguided” and “inaccurate” statements by Premier Barry O’Farrell that Crown Resorts’ planned Sydney casino will not contribute to problem gambling within the local population.
The Gambling Treatment Clinic at the University of Sydney testified at a recent parliamentary inquiry that its typical client was placing $100 bets at The Star, the city’s existing casino, and at slot machines at neighborhood clubs in the city. Far from high rollers, the clinic reported they were students, new migrants and working-class men with gambling problems.
Clinic psychologist Christopher Hunt and manager Kirsten Shannon accused the government of relying on ‘”one-sided advice from the gambling industry” in relation to Crown Sydney and say they have seen a surge in problem gambling caused by casino games.
O’Farrell has said that a combination of minimum bets in the $20-$30 range, the absence of slot machines and a “members only” policy requiring a 24-hour “cooling off” period would deter Sydney residents. Crown has said it expects locals to amount to no more than 5 percent of players.
Hunt and Shannon disagree. “Given that problem gamblers often spend weeks between paychecks thinking of gambling, such a ‘cooling off’ period would only represent a one-off, very minor irritant rather than a serious deterrent,” they said.
