Poker machines have become a part of our society. Go to any gaming lounge and you will find bright lights, loud sounds and ching ching ching. It's the sound of one dollar coins going in and coming out and all of this is what we call entertainment. Some might say, 'How is it a form of entertainment?' Believe it or not, it is. You may walk into a pub, club or a casino, have a couple of drinks and win or lose some money. It's the risk the player takes in order to win. To win you have to play, and sometimes, more than most, you lose. It has become a part of life in society today and it will probably continue to be a part of our lives for some time to come.
There have been a number of very good arguments in support as of why poker machines should be banned.
English: Club Mulwala, the Services (RSL) club in ...
Nick Xenophon
Slot MachineThe most important emphasizes the social problems of addiction, bankruptcy, family break ups, and the growing number of our younger population becoming addicted and becoming frequent poker users. 'Is the government helping the situation?' This is the question I asked myself after reading an article in Tuesday's Advertiser, which talked about whether the axing of 3000 poker machines would have an impact on our gambling problems.
The pokies create millions of dollars for the government. If the government knows how bad these machines are in our society then why are they not banning them altogether? Is the banning of 3000 poker machines really going to help our social problems? It will cut the population of poker machines from 15000 down to 12000 and that's about it. In this article, AHA chief executive John Lewis stated that, "he had information from treasury officers that...