The Parliament of Australia is conducting public hearings on slot machines that could end up with federal regulations trumping those of the individual states, at which level gambling is regulated.

One major issue the Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform is currently addressing is the topic of pre-commitment controls on slot machines in social clubs and other non-casino venues. The committee was formed to study and advise on recommendations made in last year’s Productivity Commission report.

Pre-commitment refers to the suggested practice of equipping every slot machine with a means by which a player could set a limit to how much money could be lost in a single session. The idea of such a control has been generally accepted by government and grudgingly by the industry. However, the discussion now is whether the use of pre-commitment will be mandatory for all players or merely present as an option.

The issue took on a strongly political tilt last year when the new prime minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, needed the support of Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie to form a government. Part of Wilkie’s price was the pre-commitment feature, imposed nationally. Wilkie is chairing the committee hearings.

Speaking at the hearing in Sydney, New South Wales, Anthony Ball, executive director of Clubs Australia, which represents some 1,400 of the nation’s 4,000 registered clubs, expressed his concern on the subject.

“There's a vast difference between making the pre-commitment available to any player who wants to use it, and forcing anybody who wants to play a gaming machine to register, obtain a device and provide personal details or fingerprints in order to be able to play,” said Ball.

Ball also disputes the Productivity Commission report’s claim that compulsive gamblers account for 40 percent of slot revenue. Using the figure of 95,000 compulsive gamblers spending an average A$21,000 a year on slots, Ball said their play accounted for only 16.8 percent of revenue.

“These are not our numbers. These are the figures from the commission,” said Ball.

By GGB Staff

Staff writers for Global Gaming Business magazine. Las Vegas, Nevada.