Australia’s gaming machine industry unlike no other.
There are a number of facets of operating gaming machines in the street market in Australia which make the business ‘Down Under’ totally unique. There is nothing to replicate it anywhere in the world.
There are actually three sectors: the casinos, the clubs and the pubs – and for the moment we are ignoring the thorny subject of internet gambling, a problem with which Australia continues to grapple.
There are 13 casinos; there are perhaps 2,000 clubs and thousands of pubs. Every state except Western Australia has them (only one casino there with a total monopoly) and they contribute huge resources to the state and federal governments. Naturally, while those treasuries enjoy the fruits of the income from the machines, they also pay lip service to the constant agonising over gambling expressed in the press.
The industry also over-compensates for problem gambling by providing huge resources and effort to be seen to be caring, while everyone knows that the percentage of real gamblers with real problems is way less than one per cent. That is common in all countries with payout machines, so there is nothing new there.
This article can be read in full in the October issue of InterGaming.
