Fewer EGMs Mean Less Gambling Addiction, Asserts Western Australia Study

Posted on: November 19, 2021, 08:54h. 

Last updated on: November 19, 2021, 01:11h.

Western Australia has the highest number of gamblers, but the lowest levels of problem gambling. That’s according to recent research, as reported by Australia’s ABC News. The anomaly has one reason only – the territory has fewer electronic gaming machines (EGM).

The Perth Casino Royal Commission ordered an expert report to explore gambling and problem gambling, which led to the revelation.

Matthew Rockloff was part of a CQUniversity (Central Queensland University) team that investigated gambling. He and his team concluded that there was no good evidence that EGMs, which were played at Crown Perth, were safer for problem gamblers than slot machines or EGMs from other states.

Since 1985, when Crown Perth opened, slot machines, or pokies, as they’re colloquially known, have been outlawed in Western Australia. EGMs are the only option allowed at the casino. However, according to the report, all gaming machines are “inherently dangerous.”

However, during the study, the royal commission heard from numerous witnesses. They were unable to clearly explain the difference between an illegal poker machine and an approved legal EGM by the casino regulator.

Questionable Future for EGMs

CQUniversity’s report stated that EGMs are “inherently dangerous,” as they can cause gamblers to spend excessively and get addicted. A study conducted by Gambling Research Australia last month found that the number of adult gamblers in Australia was cut in half from 2010-2019. However, the rate of those considered to be problem gamblers increased from 0.6% to 1.23%.

Only 0.9% of WA gamblers were also problem gamblers, which is lower than the 2.3% found in other states and territories. 8.7% of WA gamblers have used EGMs, while 17.3% do so elsewhere in the country.

Fewer Machines Means Fewer Problems

 The reason that WA has fewer gambling problems is that there are fewer people playing EGMs in Western Australia, the report concluded. Therefore, according to the report, it could be assumed that if WA had more EGMs than it does, the percentage of those classified as problem gamblers would increase as well.

“In fact, our analyses … suggest that people who play EGMs in WA are just as likely to have gambling problems as people who play EGMs elsewhere,” said the researchers.

The clampdown has raised questions, however, as many believe it will lead to a resurgence in black market gambling. This segment, with its complete lack of regulatory oversight, could cause more harm than implementing strict guidelines on the legal market.

Source: https://www.casino.org/news/fewer-egms-mean-less-gambling-addiction-asserts-western-australia-study/