In Tasmania, Australia, Auditor-General Rod Whitehead recently said a performance audit examining the effectiveness of problem-gambling minimization programs could not be measured reliably. At the heart of the audit was the Community Support Levy, which was established in the 1990s when poker machines were introduced in Tasmanian pubs and clubs. CSL money goes to community programs and problem gambling into research.
Whitehead said, “No conclusion can be made as to whether activities funded by the CSL to reduce the risk of harm from gambling are achieving the intended outcomes, as the evidence is insufficient for us to form an opinion. The Productivity Commission identified that difficulties arising from the nature of problem gambling, such as stigma, deceit and irrational beliefs that the next wager will solve any problems, means sufferers are unlikely to identify themselves.”
Anglicare Tasmania estimated about 2,000 problem gamblers plus an additional 6,000 moderate-risk gamblers together lose 40 percent of the total gambling spend in the state.
Whitehead said gambling support program services ought to improve their targets and performance measures. Also, he said the state’s Neighbourhood House model, which provides alternatives to pubs or casinos for evening socializing, should be reviewed and improved.
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, a longtime opponent of the spread of poker machines, said, “When you look at the figures more broadly, there has been no significant reduction in poker machine revenue over the last several years. And there has been no significant change in the rate of gambling addiction in Tasmania. While it’s fair enough the auditor-general is struggling to understand the effectiveness of the programs funded by the CSL, we do know overall the whole range of harm-minimization measures are pretty much ineffective.”
In addition, Tasmanian Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said, “Rather than tinkering around the edges, we’d like to see the Liberals take harm minimization on pokies really seriously and remove them from pubs and clubs in Tasmania.”
The audit indicated the Tasmanian Treasury was effectively collecting all the revenue derived from gambling in the state and was correctly distributing it to the CSL administrators.
Meanwhile, a parliamentary inquiry currently is examining the Federal Group’s monopoly on poker machines. The company, which owns Tasmania’s two casinos and has exclusive rights to the state’s poker machines through 2023, has held a monopoly on state gaming for more than 40 years. State government officials said they plan to make gaming licenses available for public bidding.
