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Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission chair Jenny Cranston has attacked the state government over indefinitely suspending mandatory pre-commitment cards for slot machines.
The conservative state government last week halted the reform, citing cost increases, implementation delays and technical issues, triggering unusual pushback from the head of the state’s gambling regulator.
Cranston told ABC Radio on Tuesday (November 19) that she was “incredibly disappointed and, you know, very, very, very saddened by the fact that we had almost within our grasp … the ground-breaking … initiative that would protect so many Tasmanians and be so good for this industry”.
Cranston said she was not surprised by the shift given that she had been contacted by staffers for the former minister in charge of gambling in August about feared economic impacts of mandatory pre-commitment on “regional venues” (pubs and clubs).
She added that a report by Deloitte on these impacts that influenced the decision, which has yet to be released, was never shown to her.
Cranston added that one source of disappointment for her was the fact that she and fellow commissioners “believe in” and are “unequivocally in support of” the initiative, which is the most “robust harm minimisation measure you can implement”.
A Tasmanian politician has lamented the failure to pass new regulations requiring pre-commitment player cards for slot machines.
