Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens Racing & Gaming spokesperson
Tasmanians lost almost $194m in the 2014-15 financial year, which equates to nearly $4m more than the previous financial year.
And this is despite the number of machines around State dropping by 39, and the number of venues, including casinos, reduced to 97 statewide.
Our population is facing even further hardship, and with heartless reforms and job losses en masse under this government, the strain being put on some households must be at breaking point.
If people are out there gambling more and also paying more for essential services, but no further or better paying employment is available, then something has to give.
The Liberal government cannot continue to keep taking without offering up sensible policy reform to see a balance, or at least an offset, for harm minimisation and the Greens are intent on continuing to lobby for poker machine reform.
Tasmania needs a $1 poker machine bet limit, a pre-commitment policy, as well as significant industry reform in the long term if we are to ever see the cycle of poverty in this State begin to shift.