Cheryl, this was not my idear, it is what has been suggested as part of the reform package.

The bit I don't get, is why not just make this change an be done with it.

At least then the 99% who are not the problem can go about thier business with being hassled by big brother.

...No..I maintain my line of argument which puts all responsibility for personal outcomes, good and bad, firmly on the shoulders of the affected.

...In our communities we offer alternatives to addicts to help save themselves from their OWN self-destructive choices; injecting rooms are but one. AA is another, Gamblers anonymous but another, charities to feed the poor.

...I'll give an analogy from an environment of which I am familiar: The most effective method to unpick an anchor from the sea bed is to pull from the front of the anchor; but most anchors are simply not designed that way. Gambling venues likewise are not designed to deal with problem addicts, and I believe neither should they be. There is a design factor for legitimate profit to such venues attracting to a normal person exhibiting normal self control.

...We cannot save the unsavable, we may only assist them by the above means when they call for help. Very honorable it is for posters here to feel their pain, but the fact prevails, help is in their own hands ultimately.

Not only are pokies a scourge on the community, but so are a lot of the clubs that do so well out of them. These clubs have come to dominate the social landscape with their great Australian ugliness - turgid, billious interiors; cold perspex and chrome; floor to ceiling TV screens playing non-stop matches and action replays; loud, tasteless variety acts; and boring meals followed by bad coffee.

Another factor to consider are the two main areas of club activity, which are: 1) sport and 2) the RSL. In other words, the billions made by clubs every year are mostly poured into the coffers of organisations that are there to promote sport and the military.

What if the Arts and Science organisations all decided to put pokies in their art galleries, museums and science labs? What if schools and hospitals put them in their assembly halls and waiting rooms? There would probably be a lot more money available for these activities to influence Australian life and culture in the same way that sport and the military have.

I'm being deliberately absurd to make a point, but it's not that far from the truth. Why should sport and the military be given such an unfair advantage in influencing the culture, on the back of their inextricable links to gambling?

I rate pokies above dog and cock fighting, but way below midget throwing on the civilisation scale. To value something which contributes nothing yet takes away so much is clearly the product of a degenerate mindset.

Exploiting vulnerabilities should have no legality. What if the only condition for qualifying for some government largess was to fill out an application which could only be accessed by being born between the first and fifteenth of January? Would it fair to give advantage to a small proportion of the population on such a basis? Why them is it fair to exploit a similar proportion of the population with a genetic predisposition to gambling/drug addiction?

DD I here what you say, but unreality, it's the kids who ultimately miss out because the addict has gambled away the money earmarked for living expenses.

Other than that, I have to agree with you.

Fester:

Your question; why are addicts exploited legally at pokies can be answered; they are not! Poker-machines are no more or less exploitave than is horse racing: Gambling is simply a form of entertainment. It is not everybodies idea of fun certainly, but playing of poker machines for fun is acceptable by community standards and regarded as generally innocuous.

For those in society with addictions, there is ample help in conventional areas such as psychological counseling clinics and specialist areas in the community. Wilkies proposal to control poker machines is built on compassion but not sense.