CHARLES WOOLEY
Labor has taken the moral high ground on pokies ahead of the state election, and the Libs look like they will be the biggest losers
I have been staring at a blank screen trying to think of one believably good thing that can be said about poker machines in our suburban hotels. In part, Anglicare Tasmania is to blame for my creative impasse. At its urging, I watched the documentary Ka-Ching, which featured interviews with gambling addicts, whistleblowers within the gaming industry and, most frighteningly, with neuroscientists who explained how cunningly the latest generation of poker machines are programmed. Users really are losers.
Flashing lights, exciting sounds and strategic small wins ingeniously manipulate and control the addict’s brain chemistry. I had always assumed serious pokies players had no brains. It is after all a totally mindless pursuit. Last year, naive gamers in our state lost $200 million on the pokies. (But if people really are so dumb, where did they get so much money?)
In the forthcoming state election, pokies look like becoming the No.1 issue. At last, we have something the two main parties disagree on. The problem is the politicians of today can’t say what they really think. Let me argue it for them: “Just because people are not overly burdened with brain cells, is that reason to ban an activity they enjoy?”
“Hang on, when it leads to family breakup, unemployment, depression and even suicide, perhaps it is.”
“But should we run our society for the lowest common denominator? Must we always accept limits on our freedom of choice in order to protect the stupid?”
“Yes, because we have a social responsibility to look after the weaker members of our society, sometimes even despite themselves.”
“So, you are saying the ordinary citizen should be denied a flutter in their local pub because the brainless have no self-control?” “That word ‘brainless’ is really offensive!” “Everything’s offensive in your nambypamby nanny-state!” “You are a selfish, heartless idiot!” “Let’s step outside this column and settle the argument man to man!”
So do we get the drift here? I object to having to wear a stupid helmet when I ride a bike. I hate the fact that my kids can’t have fireworks because some parents are probably too busy playing the pokies instead of taking care of their kids. But I also can’t help noting how the gambling industry targets the poorest socio-economic areas. My less reasonable political alter-egos could argue vociferously: “You don’t give a stuff about the people who live north of Creek Rd. That’s where you stick all the poker machines.”
“You just want to stop people enjoying themselves. If people beyond the Flannelette Curtain are bored enough to play the pokies, what right do you have to stop them?”
“The same right society has stopping people from taking dangerous drugs or from driving when they’ve had too much alcohol. When the poorest people in society lose $200 million a year, everyone pays.”
“Well everyone will certainly pay when the gaming industry collapses and the Federal Group leaves Tasmania.”
The political reality is the Labor Party has taken the moral high ground against suburban poker machines and has left the Liberals with nowhere to go. They look fairly shoddy and in thrall to the Federal Group.
The ‘Free Beers with the Premier’ fiasco, with grog for voters at pub chats shouted by the Tasmanian Hospitality Association, compromised the Government but, worse, it compromised Will Hodgman, whose decency and personal integrity are the best qualities the Libs have going. He doesn’t necessarily deserve to lose the next election, but if he is to win he needs to be better advised.
Anglicare polls suggest an overwhelming majority of Tasmanians don’t want poker machines in their suburbs. The Premier doesn’t play the pokies, but his handlers compromised him, offering free beers from the pokies lobby at meet-and-greet pub events. It looks worse now that Federal’s Greg Farrell has declared war on Labor, withdrawing political donations to the party. As James Boyce’s disclosures in
Losing Streak have revealed, Labor too has a compromised history with pokies. But with Rebecca White’s call, it will be politically damaging for the Liberals to be the only party seen to take Farrell’s money.
“You still haven’t told me one good thing about poker machines that justifies players losing $200 million a year.”
“Well the industry employs thousands of people for a start. And while you keep calling $200 million ‘a loss’ it could also be seen as an industry profit keeping Tasmanians in work.” “You really believe that?” “What do you want me to say? That pokies keep bogans off the street and, through gambling taxes, they recycle millions of dollars of unemployment benefits back into government coffers and into health and education.” “Well, yes. At last you’re being honest.” There may be an argument to be made for pokies, but it’s ugly and the Liberals have made a mistake getting drawn into an election issue they can’t win. It would have been wiser to call for an inquiry, but they have been outplayed into defending the indefensible. The only defence of pokies in the ‘burbs is hard-hearted ideology and ruthless robber-baron economics. Neither will wash with today’s electorate.