Players in the Australia’s state of South Australia are in for quite a rude awakening with the start of the New Year. An amendment was made to the Gaming Machines Act, mandating that the maximum bet on all poker machines be cut in half as of January 1st, 2017. This particular measure was selected from a number of them proposed back in 2013. The move was fueled by a need to provide some kind of solution for problem gambling in the state.
As a result, South Australia’s casino goers will face new maximum bets on their favorite poker machines. In fact, the maximum bet has been capped at AUS$5, cut directly in half from AUS$10. Any operators who choose not to comply with the latest mandate will face consequences in the form of having their machines turned off.
The country’s regulated gambling market was reportedly worth AUD$191.88 billion for the 2014/15 financial year. The main source of gaming for consumers? Gaming machines.
As reported to Gaming Intelligence, the country’s senator, Nick Xenophon, commented, “I expect the $5 bets will only make a marginal difference. These changes don’t go nearly far enough and we will continue pushing for $1 bets.”
“What this does show is that it is possible to reduce the maximum bets on poker machines at a low cost,” Xenophon continued.
While this is a major move for the country and will surely cause quite a stir for local players, it is surely not the end of the road, as senator Xenophon has made clear.
Source:
“South Australia halves maximum bet on poker machines”, gamingintelligence.com, January 6, 2017.