Pro-gambling lobby fight Aussie Goverments moves to curb the gambling industry with “It’s un-Australian” campaign.
A $20m advertising campaign title “It’s un-Australian” and backed by Clubs Australia and the Australian Hotels Association has been launched in a bid to tackle the proposed changes being made to the Australian pokies industry.
This pro-gambling advertising campaign has been in full swing now for a while, and gambling groups had been quietly pleased with its success. When combined with the huge amounts of money being spent on public relations at the same time, they had become confident of their ability to sway public opinion on the matter.
The campaign focuses on the Labor government’s plan to introduce electronic cards which would be given to pokie players on a compulsory basis before they play pokie machines. These cards would be loaded with a predefined amount, which would limit the amount of money that a player could lose over a set period of time.
While the gambling giants see this as something that will seriously hit their long term profits, they are also concerned about the short term costs as well, as all machines will have to be upgraded to take this system before 2014.
This date was set in stone when Labor agreed to them in order to gain support from MP Andrew Wilkie in their minority government. Also agreed was the fact that laws regarding the issue had to be passed by May 2012 – should this not happened then Mr Wilkie is likely to withdraw his support for the government and effectively topple them from power. When one considers the possible consequences of these regulations not going through, it is clear to see why the government are so keen to get the ball rolling as quickly as possible.
Going back to the issue of the advertising campaign by the gambling businesses, the government are going to be quietly hoping that the ads are pulled from the screens. With the debate teetering on a knife edge, they know that public support for the change could be a decisive factor in the minds of those MPs who are yet to make up their mind.
The removal of the advert would remove the most effective way that the public can be influenced by the gambling industry, therefore allowing the supporters of gambling reform the ability to win over the minds of the public without competition.
Should the adverts not be removed from the television screens though, then the fight would still be very much on. With the argument at such a pivotal point in its course, this decision by the consumer watchdog could well decide the fate of pokie games machines throughout the gambling clubs of Australia.
Tags: Australian gambling, Clubs Australia, electronic cards, It's Un-Australian
This entry was written by admin on Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 at 4:03 am and is filed under News.
I wish I owned the company who got the contract for the advertising.At least I would get some of my Tax Dollars back.What an absolute waste of Tax Payers Money.I remember when the Pokies were first introduced by the John Olsen led Liberal Govt, there were prizes like meat trays or spin the wheel for a chance to win $5,$10, $20 etc, but now, all these so called poor clubs, and pubs, give away nothing.They just rip off anyone who is caught up with these infernal machines.By the way, the “CUT” the Govt gets here in Sth Australia comes to approximately in between $120m - $160m, a year, roughly speaking.So do you think that the Govt will bring in any legislation to curb the REWARDS, not likely.