Within this area of research community representatives on the National Advisory Body on Gambling and the Community Service Ministers Advisory Committee were approached to contribute their views. In addition representatives from other key services such as gambling support services and community support agencies were approached.
The key issues identified from the responses were:
- Self-exclusion - A number of stakeholders indicated that self-exclusion provides a good solution to balancing the needs of all consumers. Self-exclusion was seen to allow the person with the gambling problem the capacity to address their needs without infringing on the rights of others. The capacity to implement self-exclusion deeds whereby an individual self-excludes themselves from the ATMs in all casinos and gaming environments was an option put forward. This allows people to limit their own behaviour whilst not negatively influencing the broader community group. Others referred to the need to include a third party as part of the self-exclusion program. This could be someone like a problem gambling counsellor who together with the individual maintained authority to put in place exclusion conditions.
- Impact on families - The opportunity for problem gamblers to access credit accounts through ATMs in gambling venues and the impact of credit based gambling on household incomes was raised as a particular concern. The flow effect of problem gamblers’ actions was deemed a very difficult management problem.
- Impact on the social gambler – The opinion here was quite mixed with several stakeholders citing studies that indicated that social gamblers do not in the main use ATMs in gaming venues and studies highlighting the overuse of ATMs by problem gamblers in these venues. This group believed that the inconvenience to social gamblers if ATMs were removed was minor.
- Rural and regional centres – Several stakeholders referred to the need to recognise the diversity of roles played by hotels across Australia. In particular, the family hotel in rural and regional centres that operates in a different environment to metropolitan based hotels. With the departure of banking facilities from rural and regional towns, hotels are taking on a greater role as financial providers in their respective communities. Others disputed this indicating that people under the age of 18 years in rural communities cannot access cash through hotels or gaming venues and that there are other facilities available in these communities for accessing cash such as post offices or supermarkets.
- Availability of ATMs – Most stakeholders perceive that ATM and EFTPOS facilities at gaming venues provide ready access to cash to people with gambling problems. Several stakeholders believed that ATMs were too accessible in gaming venues and whilst not present on the gaming floor they were within easy reach. Several advocated strongly that they be removed from gaming venues altogether. All agreed that ATMs should be removed from gaming floors.
Stakeholders referred to the Productivity Commission’s report where it was identified that social gamblers in the main don’t use ATMs at gaming venues and thus the impact would be marginal.
Other views however suggested that ATMs located outside hotels and gaming venues were more susceptible to crime and that forcing people to leave the venue to access an ATM would exacerbate this.
- Fixed limits on transactions - Several stakeholders saw the current debate around fixed limits as problematic. There is concern that the limit be high enough to be practical but not so high as to cause problems for people on limited fixed incomes (such as pensioners) with gambling problems. Others advocated for fixed cash limits per person per account per day, rather than one limit as people have access to multiple accounts. If this was not possible then it was suggested that there be a limit on the number of withdrawals a person could make per day.
- Access to credit and cheque cashing – Most stakeholders indicated a strong view that access to credit should be unavailable in gaming venues. In addition, many indicated that people should not be able to cash cheques as this was another key source of ready cash that could be used for gambling.
- Educational strategies - The need to support any changes with adequate education of patrons with regard to informing why limitations are applied to ATM and EFTPOS facilities in gaming venues was raised by most stakeholders. The view was expressed that if people were well informed of requirements then the impact would be minimal. Other strategies related to responsible gambling messages on screens of machines that could alert customers to self-exclusion facilities, gambling support services and help lines.
- Shared responsibility - A number of stakeholders referred to the need for all stakeholders to accept some responsibility for the identification and implementation of harm minimisation strategies. There was a strong sense that unless all key stakeholders such as the banks, venue operators and policy makers worked together that the capacity for strategies to be successful was limited. Some stakeholders within the community services sector see the financial and gaming sectors as resistant to considering strategies with regard to ATM and EFTPOS facilities and functions.
- Future legislation/regulation – Several stakeholders commented that the focus of future legislation and regulation should be preventative with the view advocated that any product that is harmful to members of the community needs to be regulated and controlled.
- National approach – There was consensus from all stakeholders that there should be an agreed national approach to dealing with the issues associated with problem gambling, including regulation and legislative responses.
6.1 Summary
In summary, there is a diversity of view with regard to ATM and EFTPOS facilities in gaming environments and associated harm minimisation strategies. All supported the investigation of placing cash limits and removing access to credit within the gaming environment. All agreed that reducing access to cash was important as part of a range of harm minimisation strategies.
Some respondents are supportive of measures to remove ATMs from the gaming environment but not from the premises altogether and others believed they should be removed altogether. Any limits placed on ATM and EFTPOS functionality and capability need to take into consideration the needs of the community for financial services.
There was a strong view that self limiting by people was a useful strategy as well as direct assistance measures such as gambling help signs and telephone numbers around ATM and EFTPOS facilities.