\u201cWe\u2019ve heard from hotel operators across the state, all of which support local economies and provide jobs, that if pokies are removed it will cost jobs,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWhite disputed that statement, saying that analysis shows removing the machines could actually have a positive economic impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemoving poker machines from pubs and clubs across Tasmanian communities will mean that money is better spent supporting local jobs,\u201d the Labor leader said. \u201cEconomic modelling has shown that it could provide an additional 180 jobs in Tasmania if only half that money is spent in communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Australian Greens also supported the plan, with Greens leaded Cassy O\u2019Conner praising Labor\u2019s initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity, with two of the three parties contesting this election to save Tasmania from poker machines,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Tasmania has the lowest loss per person on slots of any state except for Western Australia, which only allows pokies at the Burswood Casino in Perth. Overall, however, Australia is home to a high number of slot machines compared to most other countries.<\/p>\n
A recent report from the Australia Institute found that when it comes to non-casino venues, Australia has 76 percent of the world\u2019s poker machines. Even after taking casinos and major gaming hubs like Macau and Las Vegas into account, the number of slots in the country far outpaces its population.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia has 0.3 percent of the world\u2019s population but six percent of its conventional gaming machines and 18 percent of its poker machines,\u201d said Bill Browne, co-author of the Australia Institute report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Labor Party in Tasmania has said that they want to remove all slot machines (known in Australia as poker machines or pokies) from the Australian state by 2023. While the Labor party is currently in the minority in the state, they have pledged to take the dramatic step should they win next year\u2019s elections. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":65484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,13,18,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Labor Party Wants to Remove Slots from Tasmanian Clubs and Pubs by 2023<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n