Proposed legislation to cut the maximum pokies bet in Victoria from $5 to $1 a spin will help protect problem gamblers, a Greens MP says.
MLC Colleen Hartland has called on both major parties to back her bill, which she says would cut the maximum possible loss for problem gamblers from $840 an hour of $5 bets to $120 an hour.
She said this would not affect 88 per cent of Victorian pokies users, who bet up to $1 a spin, but would protect those most vulnerable to gambling addiction.
The bill is before the Legislative Council, but neither Labor nor the Coalition have indicated whether they will support it.
"Today is a chance for both the government and the opposition to stand up and say where they stand on the issue of the pokies," Ms Hartland said on Wednesday.
"Are they going to give in to the pokies lobbyists and continue to be totally dependent on the revenue, or are they going to look at a humane way to deal with people's severe pokies addiction?"
The bill was defeated in the upper house on Wednesday afternoon.
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