It seems that the Clubs and Pubs are suffering a terrible down turn in poker machine profits since the ban on smoking cigarettes inside.

This year the total turnover from poker machines in the month of March was a “mere” 2.9 billion dollars, down 700 million dollars from the poker machine turnover of March last year.

Personally I’m dismayed at the level of saturation these machines have in our community. Australia has 20% of the world’s poker machines, with NSW responsible for half of these. We have more pokies per capita of population than Las Vegas! Of the 128 billion dollars gambled in Australia each year (2002-2003) 65%, or a total of 90 billion dollars is poured down the throat of the one armed bandits.

Poker machines are described by the gaming industry as entertainment. I can assure all concerned that for the families and individuals caught up in this addiction the results are far from fun.

Every week I sit with people whose lives and families are being torn apart by the time and money spent in front of the insidiously teasing temptation of flashing lights on these cleverly designed devices. Whole weekly wages are lost in hours as the housing and food money is thrown away, along with the gamblers self esteem and their families security.

The Clubs defence of their practises include the suggestion that without their donations to sport the community would be less active and in turn less healthy. They also say that the massive tax income the government achieves is crucial to our economy. To my mind these spurious and expediently self interested arguments fail.

Every dollar spent on gambling is a dollar lost to a more sustainable, healthy and productive economy.  Perhaps the energy each gambler exerts would be directed into achieving a better income and personal investment that they could then spend on tax and sporting club membership.

As effective leaders know, prohibition doesn’t work, but limit setting with support and information does! Poker machines are purposefully programmed to beat you. They are a fine example of where less is certainly more.

Martin Hunter Jones is an honorary life member of the Australian Counselling Association. He has a Counselling and Hypnotherapy practice on the Northern Beaches. Phone 9973 4997.