Out of one and into the other!
Gambling is a problem and problem gamblers face more challenges than most in avoiding the pit falls of their addiction. I have always wondered about the common sense of having an ATM in the same room as a lot of poker machines. The temptation for a problem gambler to pour all their cash into one machine after having taken it out of the other must be huge.
So, it is with interest that I read the Senator-elect from South Australia, Nick Xenophon, who seemingly was elected on his anti-pokies platform, intends to introduce a private members bill when he takes up his position on 1 July 2008.
The essence of the bill would be to ban ATMs from pubs and clubs. I fully support such a move. It will be interesting to see whether the move gets universal support in the parliament. Pokies are big business and from the pub and club perspective it makes a lot of sense to have an ATM on site to ensure that punters have access to cash. The bill would not effect the pub's and club's abilities with regard to EFTPOS or electronic funds transfer machines. The senator-elect recognizes that EFTPOS is important for allowing patrons to pay for drinks, food, and accommodation.
The winner is always just around the corner which is probably why having an ATM in a pub or club is such a dangerous thing.
