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March 19th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda The starting date for a trial of pre-commitment technology for poker machines in the ACT is uncertain, despite the federal government confirming its February 2013 deadline.
Clubs ACT chief Jeff House on Monday described the February 2013 trial date as “ambitious” and said it could be pushed back.
“The government has acknowledged that if it takes longer … then so be it,” he told AAP on Monday.
Mr House could not say how much extra time would be needed to get the poker machines ready for a trial.
However, several hours later Mr House said he had “misspoken”.
He clarified his comments, saying the government had acknowledged Clubs ACT’s position that the trial may have to be pushed back if the machines weren’t ready.
Mr House met with Families Minister Jenny Macklin’s staff late last week.
A spokeswoman for Ms Macklin said the government had not changed its position on the start date.
The federal opposition doubts the trial will get off the ground because gaming manufacturers have expressed reservations about their ability to get machines ready in time.
As well, clubs in the ACT have threatened to pull their cooperation if the government agrees to demands by independent MP and gambling reform campaigner Andrew Wilkie.
The Tasmanian MP wants to exclude the gambling industry from the design of the ACT trial.
“If the government agrees to that, there will be no trial in the ACT,” Mr House said, adding the MP was not a participant in the discussions.
Mr Wilkie claims the trial is being set up to fail so gambling reforms won’t be rolled out nationally.
He will meet Ms Macklin in Canberra on Tuesday for further talks about his concerns.
Mr House said talks between the clubs and the government were continuing and the potential inclusion in the trial of neighbouring Queanbeyan, which is in NSW, “remains on the table”.
However, clubs in the NSW city aren’t likely to be approached until details are finalised.
“I don’t expect that to happen any time soon. There’s a lot of work to be done,” Mr House said.
The Labor government will give ACT clubs $37.1 million to cover their costs in taking part in the trial.
Pre-commitment 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.
Fellow anti-pokies crusader and senator Nick Xenophon said the government trial was “ill conceived and designed to fail.”
“What’s being proposed now is an illusion of reform, which is worse than no reform at all, because it wouldn’t pave the way to make a difference to the lives of problem gamblers and would take the issue off the national agenda,” he said, in a statement.
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