SA: No pokies means more machines and legal action

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-1999
SA: No pokies means more machines and legal action

ADELAIDE, Dec 5 AAP - Publicans are rushing to install poker machines amid proposed
legislation aimed at removing pokies from South Australian hotels, the Australian Hotels
Association (AHA) said today.

And if the legislation goes ahead, there would be massive class actions by disgruntled
hoteliers, AHA SA general manager John Lewis warned.

Mr Lewis said No Pokies Independent Nick Xenophon's private member's bill to regulate
the SA gambling industry had sparked a rush in gaming machine applications.

"(Mr Xenophon's) campaign has had the reverse result ... many hotels are only installing
poker machines now because the bill's in parliament," Mr Lewis said.

"The whole bill has backfired on (Mr Xenophon) because hotels are putting in more machines
... because of the Xenophon approach, everyone is rushing out to get new applications
for gaming machines."

The Gambling Industry Regulation Bill aims to force operators to place mandatory warning
signs on poker machines, remove Eftpos and ATM facilities from gambling venues and establish
a fund for victims of gambling related crime.

It also bans pokies from hotels within five years of the proposed law being enacted,
a clause Mr Lewis said allowed legal action on the ground of discrimination.

"If this bill does go ahead there's going to be an enormous class action and he (Mr
Xenophon) will be in the firing line," Mr Lewis said.

"Xenophon's not the No Pokies MP, he's the No Pokies in Hotels MP - he's happy to leave
the casinos and clubs alone," he said.

Mr Lewis's comments follow a report in the Adelaide Sunday Mail today that revealed
more than 1,800 poker machines had been installed in SA hotels since Premier John Olsen
called a halt to the spread of machines in 1997.

A further 826 machines had been approved and were waiting to be installed - taking
the state's total number of machines to more than 13,100, the Sunday Mail said.

But Mr Xenophon denied the legislation was discriminatory and said hotels should be
interactive places and not the anti-social atmosphere poker machines induced.

"The productivity report into gambling showed eight per cent (of gamblers) that do
have a problem (are addicted to gambling) gamble in hotels while five per cent (of gambling
addicts) gamble in clubs," Mr Xenophon said.

"(Removing poker machines from hotels) is not a perfect solution but it's an option
... to reduce the level of problem gambling."

Mr Xenophon acknowledged no members of the Legislative Council had yet supported his
clause to remove poker machines from hotels.

AAP la/bdm/de

KEYWORD: POKIES

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