What can you say? Pokies; or electronic gaming machines as they are preferred to be known as by the Casino, have made Mr Packer an extra $10 million dollars in the last financial year to add to has growing fortune. Yet they have obviously made a lot of households much poorer. Where is Robin Hood when we need him?
This article starts off with a hint of disrespect for the casino and its owners through the tone used. It follows with slots of sarcasm and a dig about the lack of tax paid viewed against the revenue earned.
With a few paragraphs muddled with facts and figures about gambling, the crux of the situation is addressed.
Here comes the true issue at hand for the article: With $350 million upgrade to the casino on the way, the State Government has ratified a further 250 pokies, or "electronic gaming machines", as well as a further 50 gaming tables. The Gaming and Wagering Commission have allowed these changes to occur, which will see more money being poured through the pokies in no time. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
The Commissions comments are the substance of the last two paragraphs which claim that casinos and pokies should not be held accountable for any increase in gambling, and with the increase of counseling being sought by problem gamblers, we should essentially not be worrying our little selves about it, as they have it under control! In fact, we should be thanking the casino for this as without their support of signage and website advertising within their establishment, there would be no increase in the awareness of the issue. Thanks Burswood for all your hard work in getting gambling down in WA, but when do we get the subsidised drinks like the east coast offers with it’s revenue earned through pokies? Sounds a bit like Mr Packer has the Commission just where he needs them.
Hmmmm, so the commission wants Burswood to be paying more tax from the ratification... and in return they'll stand up for them. Interesting!
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