RSS Feed
February 16th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Canberra clubs have agreed to trial the federal government’s poker machine mandatory pre-commitment technology but say they don’t know exactly what they’ve agreed to.
The technology requires gamblers to set limits on the amount of money they are willing to lose on high-betting machines which can chew through an average $1200 an hour.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard reneged on a deal she negotiated with independent MP Andrew Wilkie to roll out the technology by 2014.
Instead she opted for a trial limited to the ACT from January 2013 and offered $37.1 million in compensation for the clubs for their involvement.
Clubs met on Thursday to decide whether to trial the technology, with Clubs ACT chief executive Jeff House later emerging to announce members had given “in-principle agreement, subject to the further and successful negotiation of a range of matters”.
But Mr House said he doesn’t know precisely what the agreement involves, how it will impact revenue or if the compensation offered will be adequate.
“We don’t know exactly what we’ll be trialling beyond it being pre-commitment,” Mr House said.
“We don’t know what exactly will be trialled. We don’t know the assessment methodology.
“The purpose of this in-principle agreement is to set the conversation with the federal government on a more formal footing so we can identify those outstanding matters and hopefully reach agreement.”
Mr House said until the trial is conducted clubs won’t know what the financial impact is or if the compensation is sufficient.
“If people stop walking through the door of clubs and don’t come back once the trial is completed how do clubs deal with that revenue fall-off?
“So long as the commonwealth agrees with the principle, and I believe they have, that no club be financially disadvantaged through their participation in the trial, we’ll be satisfied.”
Minister for Families and Community Services Jenny Macklin welcomed the decision by Clubs ACT.
“The government wants to ensure that a staged, evidence-based approach is taken to implement changes in poker machine venues,” she said.
Draft legislation will be released on Friday.
“This is the first time in Australia’s history a commonwealth government has taken national action to tackle problem gambling,” she said.
The federal government’s watered down pokies reform package includes an ACT trial of mandatory pre-commitment, dynamic warnings on machines and the introduction of a $250 daily limit on ATM withdrawal.
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
