Glenorchy has been identified as the Tasmanian local government area with the highest losses on gaming machines, prompting Mayor Sue Hickey to call for stronger harm-minimisation measures from the state government.
Her comments follow a News analysis of Treasury data which revealed punters visiting Glenorchy venues lost almost $5 million on poker machines in the first three months of the year.
Hickey said the figures were nothing to celebrate.
“This is not a badge of honour for us,” Hickey told Monday’s council meeting. “We do know that like many communities poker machines can and do impact people’s lives.”
The mayor said it was particularly worrying that the losses were coming from those who could least afford them.
Glenorchy racked up $4,859,290 in losses. Launceston followed with losses of $4.06 million, while Devonport recorded $2.67 million.
Combined losses at Wrest Point and the Country Club casinos reached more than $20 million.
Hickey, a former Liberal MP, said the data made the case for stronger government action to reduce gambling harm, especially in vulnerable communities.
Although the council has limited powers to intervene directly, Hickey said it was committed to tackling the issue through advocacy and partnerships.
“There’s very little of the council that we could do about this matter but we do have a statement of commitment on gambling,” she said.
The council’s efforts include advocating for the removal of gaming machines from the city, working with organisations addressing gambling-related harm and engaging with community service providers and local businesses.
Community groups have long pushed for measures such as mandatory pre-commitment systems, lower betting limits and restrictions on machine access in high-risk areas.
Liberal MLC Jo Palmer on Monday said the state government had done “significant work” over the past decade “in the area of harm minimisation”.
She said there was a balance to be found between protecting people and freedom of choice.
“This new parliament that we’re going into will absolutely be a parliament where we will be talking about this, we will be discussing this on the floor of the parliament and we’ll certainly work with the parliament on this,” Palmer said.
“We know that there are impacts on families, but we also really believe that people have a right to choose. People have a right to say, I’ve earned my money, this is what I choose to spend it on.”
“We’re always going to be supportive of putting protections in place to make sure that we help people make the right decisions. But we want to live in a state where people are actually able to choose and make decisions about their income and the money that they earn.”
