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  Issue No 68 Official Organ of LaborNet 25 August 2000  

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Review

Blow Up The Pokies


Whether it arouses public debate about Gambling is best left to the public but Peter Zangarri thinks Tim Freedman is on a winner with the Whitlam's latest CD.

 
 

The Whitlams- (Black Yak/Phantom Records)

Track Listing
1. Blow up the Pokies
2. Thank You (for loving me at my worst)
3. Bring Me Back
4. Putting on a Show
5. The curse stops here

This week I was only supposed to provide Noel with a review of a new CD. When given the new single by the Whitlams I automatically assumed I 'd have to write a few lines about how well a strings section works with the band and how Tim Freedman is able to write absolute gems.

How close was I?

What I found was a single that was not only well written and performed but also a subject matter that in all our bravery we like to sweep under the carpet. That subject is the issue of Gambling in today's society and its level of tolerability.

I have no doubt that this single will be used sometime in the future in a campaign against problem gambling but it's the line "So they can say that the trains run on time" that is right on the ball in NSW. It has become acceptable to rip the money right out of working Australian pockets to hand back to other Australian pockets so that Politicians can say they are doing their job.

Whether it is the office sweep on the First Tuesday in November, the footy tipping competition that runs for the duration of the Footy season or whether it is the Lotto draw on Monday nights, we are a nation that loves a punt. However, since the 1990's we have seen an explosion in problem gambling in Australia. No matter how many times people have said this, there is a growing gambling culture that exists in our backyard, and there is nothing any State or Federal Government would like to do about curtailing it. The situation is too convenient for the supposed representatives of the people. With the number of problem gamblers estimated at over 200,000 there are obvious windfalls for government. This state now has the prestigious title of boasting "10% of the world's poker machines". Line that up next to our AAA credit rating and you've got a gambler that at least pays his debts on time.

If you are an addicted poker machine player, you can travel from Bondi to the Blue Mountains and there is a sure bet that there would be one pokie parlour for every kilometer traveled. Though In a literal sense you wouldn't get far. You'd have to go past an Elephant King, White Tiger and even a Golden Pharoah. While it might sound like an African safari to some, these are just a few of the names given to the machines that tend to lure people in and take them on a proverbial ride for their money. Hats go off to the technicians who designed those dastardly boxes, you really must be proud of yourself.

Yesterday the company TAB Ltd launched its scheme called Maxi Millions- a Hyperlinked pokie system that would have a daily jackpot of $60,000 (which is six times the present maximum cash jackpot offered by individual clubs). Up to 2000 machines are to be linked in clubs across NSW to create the huge daily jackpot. You can just see the hordes spending their last dollar on that chance to grab the big one. Well just like fishing, it seems that to many addicted gamblers it was the one that got away. "I was four cards off a royal flush" said the desperate man, "If only I was playing 400 lines I would have got 5 Golden Pharoahs."

The increase in poker machines has spelt the death knell on many venues that used to showcase upcoming Australian music. Instead, the hotels that used to house the gigs are thriving with the programmed tunes of up to 30 machines in each. Less than a decade ago and as a keen teenage guitarist, I could recall fronting up to a Frenzal Rhomb gig at the Vic on the Park, a You Am I show at the Annandale Hotel or a Toe to Toe mosh at the Landsdowne. All three venues no longer showcase new bands, and it is a real shame. The three bands have achieved various feats in their own right, but it was the venues that enabled their start which have closed to give way to the pokies.

Many hoteliers have argued that the music industry is in its own crisis and that the introduction of pokies has nothing to do with it. What the hoteliers fail to disclose is that the revenue from the machines is directly pocketed and very little is returned to the community. Social relationships tend to disintegrate with problem gambling as the addict avoids discussing their problem with family and friends. In many reported cases, problem gamblers borrow money to gamble even going to the extent of stealing it from others with the intent to return it after their 'win'. It's a downward spiral that leads to the loss of possessions including cars and houses.

While gaming may be a form of entertainment for some, for others it is the cause of many problems. Nowadays it is the level of accessibility that exacerbates the issue. Previously, poker machines were only housed in registered clubs, which to many people were not as accessible as the corner pub. There may be a level of acceptability in the community about throwing in a few 'bob' however the day we ever allowed poker machines into our pubs and hotels will always be remembered as a day that public policy went round the bend.

I haven't even touched on the issue of Internet gambling but I suppose that will have to wait. In summing up though, the Whitlams have hit the nail on the head with this single.


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*   View entire issue - print all of the articles!

*   Issue 68 contents

In this issue
Features
*  Interview: New Unionist
Britain's Trade Union Congress secretary John Monks on life under Blair and why the future of unionism could well rest in Europe.
*
*  History: The Victims of Whiggery
George Loveless, the leader of the rural workers who became the Tolpuddle Martyrs, recorded his ideals and experiences in a pamphlet that brings his story to life.
*
*  Economics: The Final Station
Corporatisation was first introduced into Australia by the former Greiner Coalition government. What is 'corporatisation' and who should we hold to account under its prescriptions?
*
*  International: Massive Union Win in American Telecom
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) announced on Thursday a settlement with Verizon Communications ending a fifteen day strike by 87,000 telephone workers from Maine to Virginia.
*
*  Unions: A Vital Community Service
What keeps the engine of the Australian economy running? Manufacturing productivity, the stock market, exports? Try child care.
*
*  Satire: Putin copies Clinton: dead seamen stains reputation
MOSCOW, Tuesday: Russian naval authorities today faced staunch criticism, and the anger of a nation gripped by tragedy, as they conceded that all 118 Russian submariners trapped in the nuclear submarine, the Kursk, had died.
*
*  Review: Blow Up The Pokies
Whether it arouses public debate about Gambling is best left to the public but Peter Zangarri thinks Tim Freedman is on a winner with the Whitlam's latest CD.
*

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Columns
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»  Sport
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»  Trades Hall
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»  Tool Shed
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Letters to the editor
»  Sticking Up For Family Values
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»  How far is Farr enough?
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»  From Cryptoneoliberal to Careless
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