Self-Exclusion Program in Victoria Fails Problem Gambler

Available in pubs, clubs and casinos across Victoria, slots, or pokies as they are known in Australia, result in losses of millions every month. The estimated losses to the one-armed bandits, another nickname of pokies, between 2022 and 2023 hit the mind-blowing sum of AU$3 billion ($1.96 billion). With millions lost to gambling every month, many people are struggling with addiction and a new report warns that Victoria’s self-exclusion program does little to protect such individuals.

Gamblers Need to List the Locations They Are Excluded From

People affected by at-risk or problem gambling can sign up for the state’s self-exclusion program. This adds them to a list of people who aren’t permitted to gamble at different pubs and clubs across Victoria.

However, strangely enough, such individuals need to list all of the venues they want to be excluded from when submitting their application. This creates a burden for people who don’t want to gamble but need to identify the many pubs and clubs close to them, or if they want to exclude themselves from all, need to list all such gambling venues.

In a recent interview for The Guardian, a woman who has felt the devastating impact of problem gambling herself and was even sent to nearly one year in prison back in 2020 due to fraud to fuel her problem gambling, criticized the effectiveness of Victoria’s gambling self-exclusion program.

A “Full-Blown Relapse,” Despite Self-Exclusion

The woman admitted that after signing up for the program, she spent several months without entering any gambling venues. Initially, she thought that she would be asked to leave immediately if she had entered a gambling establishment. This served as a deterrent for the woman who didn’t even attempt to enter pubs and clubs, at least initially.

At some point, the Victorian resident decided to walk into a gambling venue. Regretfully, this was the first step toward her relapse as the woman uncovered that she could “easily” gamble at most venues even though she was on the state’s self-exclusion list. The Victorian said that each pub or club is responsible for identifying problem gamblers and the employees on-site need to identify you and ask you to leave.

However, she found out that not providing her ID or claiming to be somebody else could enable her to continue gambling. “It led to a full-blown relapse, once I saw how easy it was,” the woman admitted, claiming that out of the 175 venues she self-excluded from, she was asked to leave only from a handful of locations. Speaking about the self-exclusion program, the woman said: “It’s just, it’s an absolute joke. I realized that absolutely nothing (significant) happens to you or the venue if you breach the exclusion.”

Such a situation is concerning, to put it mildly, especially considering that individuals on Victoria’s self-exclusion program cannot collect winnings. At the same time, gambling venues are not required to pay back money lost by such gamblers. This puts people affected by harm in a losing position regardless of the circumstances as they are not properly protected and at the same time are not owed money lost to pokies.