Tasmania
Gambling in Tasmania
The Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission regulates gambling in Tasmania according to the Gaming Control Act of 1993. The commission’s website appears to be kept up to date and provides extensive information on everything you need to know about gambling in Tasmania.
Country-wide — with a population of 522,000 — there are 280 gambling premises in Tasmania, 3,223 gaming machines (this works out to one pokie machine for every 161 people) and 283 self-exclusions.
There are strict laws in force to regulate gambling in Tasmania. These include statutes covering:
- restrictions and responsible gambling messaging requirements for industry advertising
- withdrawal limits for cards and ATMs at casinos
- the precise measurements and visibility of analogue clocks to be displayed in restricted gaming areas
- time and venue-type restrictions on the serving of food and alcoholic drinks at gaming machines
- loyalty programs
- surveillance standards
- vouchers
- payments of winnings
Problem Gambling
The Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission states that it is committed to responsible gambling.
The gamblers’ help section of their website provides information on counselling services. Help for problem gambling is available online and by phone 24/7, as well as in person.
The Tasmanian government’s Know Your Odds website (their tag-line gets right to the point “The Longer You Play, The More You Lose”) has lots of videos and infographics and offers some very interesting statistics, myth-busting and detailed information about how the house edge works.
Exclusion
The Tasmanian Gambling Exclusion Scheme (TGES) is derived from the Gaming Control Act of 1993.
People can be excluded from gambling in a variety of different ways:
- land or internet-based gambling self-exclusion, initiated by the person with a gambling problem;
- venue operator exclusion, where the licence holder or their staff choose to exclude a player who they believe to have a gambling issue;
- and third-party exclusion (land and internet-based gambling), initiated by someone “with a close personal interest in the welfare of another person”.