I walked through the poker machine room at a pub here in Cairns on
my way to lunch with some friends.
I counted forty poker machines ( I think they call them Gaming Machines today).
The room was fully air conditioned and the lighting very subdued so as to enhance the
glittering light shows emitting from the machines.
There was a free coffee bar complete with biscuits and cake and even small savories
Every machine, with the exception of three obviously of an older less attractive type,was
being played to the tune of up to a couple of dollars a pull (button push).
Every one of the machines being played except, for two being played by obvious old age
pensioners, was being played by mostly full blood aborigines whom had just right amount
of clothes on their emancipated bodies (mostly women) to
get them past the door security people.
All had worn thongs on their feet and most of them smelt as though they had not
been near a shower in a month.
One of the staff told me, as she served us lunch, that it was ‘pension day’ and they
would regularly leave most of their pension money in the pockets of the
hotel owners and head for the charities for food and sustenance
Surely this is evidence enough for the introduction of a universal controlled spending
card for all social security clients.

Maybe we could just get rid of pokies? Western Australia doesn't have them in pubs or clubs... doesn't seem to have done them any harm.

Please explain Toni Lavis, why thousands of people who want to play poker machines, & can do so responsibly, should have this removed from them, just because a few incompetents can't handle themselves.

It is probably even better for these "ladies" that they throw the money we have wasted on them into the pokies, rather than pour it down their throats in grog.

I have never been able to see the attraction of gambling, particularly the mindless forms such as pokies, however those who earn their own living should be able to spend their money in any way they see fit.

Those who hold their hand out for welfare payments however, should not have a right to waste what others have worked hard to earn. There is every reason to restrict their spending, or withdraw their availability to do so.

Pubs would go under if it were not for pokies. They are just one of the many, many things that some greedy bugger wanted that have proved to be a curse.

//Please explain Toni Lavis, why thousands of people who want to play poker machines, & can do so responsibly, should have this removed from them//

Because if they want to waste money on the most boring form of 'entertainment' ever devised, they're clearly not of sound mind. These poor souls deserve our compassion, and we shouldn't encourage them in their mindless zombie button-pushing. Especially since pubs and clubs seem to have taken to heart the lie peddled by gaming machine manufacturers that the damn things are actually entertaining. So now instead of live music, pool tables, dart boards... you know, stuff that is really is entertaining... they rip it all out so they cram in more bloody pokies.

If people want to sit and play a game that involves pressing one button repeatedly in order to make random arrays of pretty pictures appear, I'm pretty sure they can do that at home on their computer for a fraction of the cost of playing a pokie, and leave the pubs for the people who want to enjoy pubs with pool tables and conversations that aren't drowned out by their stupid damn machines going bingely-bongely-beep and ringing alarm klaxons every thirty seconds.

//Pubs would go under if it were not for pokies. They are just one of the many, many things that some greedy bugger wanted that have proved to be a curse.//

Pubs have been around a lot longer than pokies, and they seem to do fine in WA.

Hi Chris,

What you write is a very persuasive argument in favour of a Welfare Card for ALL beneficiaries, for up to 80 or 90 % of the value of their benefits: a simple swipe card that, as a matter of course, approves the payment for everything except gambling, grog and cigarettes.

Fools can use the remaining 10-20 % cash for those, and then humbug their relations when it runs out. Sounds fair enough.

Or, of course, if they are able-bodied, they can try work. Wash my mouth out !

Joe