Playing the Pokies: Overview : SBS Insight

Overview

Australians are one of the world’s biggest losers when it comes to the Pokies. Officially, we lose more per capita to poker machines than any other people in the western world.

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Australia’s 200,000 poker machines deliver billions of dollars each year to clubs, pubs and state governments. More than a third of it comes from problem gamblers and those who can least afford to lose money.

But from July, the anti-gambling lobby will have an important new ally in Canberra. A new Senate will deliver the balance of power to those seeking gambling reform, including South Australian Senator elect Nick Xenophon.

Insight brings together the main players in the pokies debate.

Senator elect Nick Xenophon comes face to face with representatives of the gaming industry. Businessman Peter Holmes a Court explains what has happened since he and Russell Crowe scrapped all poker machines from his South Sydney Leagues Club.

And Tim Freedman, lead singer with The Whitlams, describes how his passion against pokies inspired a song (and sings it too!).

Meet the Guests

Tim Freedman

As lead singer and pianist for the multiple ARIA award winning Australian band, The Whitlams, Tim Freedman was inspired to write the song ‘Blow up the Pokies’ in the 90s as he watched a fellow musician struggle with a pokies habit.

Peter Holmes a Court

The very rich and high profile co-owners of the South Sydney Football Club, Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court, have banded together to strip the club of all its poker machines. Executive Chairman Peter Holmes a Court joins us to discuss why they’ve decided to throw out the pokies from their Redfern premises.

Anthony Ball

Anthony Ball is the Executive Manager - Policy and Development with ClubsNSW. He works with ClubsNSW members, key stakeholders and government to develop policy in areas such as taxation, smoking, liquor reform and problem gambling.

Senator – elect Nick Xenophon

Nick Xenophon will join the Senate in July after a career in state politics in South Australia since 1997. Nick has made the switch to the federal parliament to tackle the state governments on their reliance on pokies revenue to fund essential public services.

Ross Ferrar

Ross Ferrar is the Executive Officer of the Australasian Gaming Machine Manufacturers Association. The Association represents gaming machine giants such as Aristocrat Technologies and International Game Technology Australia.