Page 2879 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 1991
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I think it fair to endorse almost everything that Mr Duby has said in connection with fairness and equity in relation to New South Wales. At the very least, there should be maximum returns and fair returns; and I endorse his comments. The Rally endorses the Government's action, and on behalf of the Rally I support this Bill.
MR JENSEN (12.22): Like my colleague Dr Kinloch, I rise to speak in support of this Bill. I wish to make a couple of brief points, and direct one specific question to the Government opposite. Maybe the Government would like to consider the question that I am about to ask and provide an answer to the Assembly at some later stage. In debating this Bill, Mr Speaker, I believe that it is appropriate to make some comments on the move to $1 and $2 machines in the ACT. Those of us who lived in Canberra when the Queanbeyan Leagues Club was in its heyday remember that at lunchtime people flocked out of the ACT to have their steak and salad and flutter a few dollars on the machines across the border.
Eventually poker machines came to the ACT. When poker machines first came to the ACT the limit was 10c. That probably had something to do with inflation. But I believe that at the time it had a lot to do with people's concerns about the amount of money that people would be able to gamble on these dreaded one-armed bandits. Of course, as we know, this later changed to 20c. I note that in the club of which I am a member, the Southern Cross Club, there is a quite large number of 5c machines down in the corner, and it is very hard sometimes, when you have a spare 5c in your pocket to put in a machine, to actually get a machine. Those machines are well used and well oiled by some of the patrons of the club.
A couple of things have happened in this industry throughout Australia, and particularly in the ACT, that have some effect on what I am about to say. I talk, of course, about the ability of members of clubs or players in clubs to press a button and gamble five coins at once. In the old days, of course, it was a case of pulling the handle. Eventually we got really modern and everyone pushes a button. But now, of course, the buttons range from one to five, and people now have the option of spending five coins in one go.
In fact, with the advent of $1 and $2 machines, we are talking now about the ability to gamble $5 or $10 in one fell press of a button. I can assure you that it is over in the blink of an eye. You do not get much chance to get your $10 back; once you press the button it is gone; sorry, try again. In fact, that is what the machine tells you to do - play again - and, of course, that is what most of us do. It does not take much imagination to work out how quickly one could go through $100 or even $1,000, particularly operating on a $2 machine.
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