Australian Pokies Loss Is Similar to Drug Epidemic
Australia’s gaming industry has devoured its residents for years, and it hasn’t been a subtle occurrence. A huge invite to gambling one’s earnings sits above just about every major highway, even in run-down towns that could use the money for restorations. One example is the prominent cash jackpot sign that entices people who drive or walk by the Revesby Workers Club. The club is in West Sydney in an area that could use a lot of work. The casinos there outshine the other businesses like the cafes, fitness centers, and beauty stores. Instead, the residents take their earnings and gamble on the outcome of their next pokies expedition.
Australia displays some huge numbers when it comes to losing money. The country’s residents lose more than A$330m each year just in the clubs. That doesn’t account for the money that they lose in places like bars and actual casinos. Australian business owners have much more leeway than those in other countries have when it comes to setting up their casinos. Other countries restrict their business owners to setting them up inside of physical gambling establishments.
The pokies are some of the most addicting parts of the gaming industry.What gets most of the players hooked on gambling is the strategy that the developers use on the brain. Pokies, as they call the machines, use a system of reward and anticipation. This system affects the brain the same way that a cocaine addiction affects the brain. It even makes the brain release dopamine, which is a chemical that causes a feeling of happiness, calmness, and contentment. Gamblers usually don’t even realize their potential losses while they are involved in such “feel good” activities. Players lose more than $18 billion every year on the machines. Most of that money comes from impoverished people who gamble in hopes that they will hit big just once and take care of all of their financial problems.
The government is not likely to take a stand on behalf of the people who have severe gambling problems. The government isn’t even likely to approve a regulation that could control the amount of money that players spend. In fact, a proposal allows those punters to set limits on their spending received a denial because of the friction it got from the gambling lobby. The idea of the proposal was to force punters to get a special license so that they could gamble. It would also allow them to set personal limits on the amount of money they would spend on pokies and other ventures. Such a proposal got stopped dead in its tracks. The money that the government sees from taxes that come in from gambling funds is just too good at this time.
The gambling industry defends accusations of its oppressive measures by stating that it creates thousands of employment opportunities for people in the country. Additionally, the industry makes huge contributions to politicians and governmental entities that may otherwise regulate gambling. That seems a bit more like a payoff than a contribution.
