Victorian councils have accused the state government of backtracking on its gambling reform promises after it quietly softened key elements of a major poker machine trial just days after launch.
The three-month pilot program, running across 43 venues in the Monash, Greater Dandenong and Ballarat council areas, was initially announced as a mandatory “carded play” scheme. Under that plan, punters would be required to use a YourPlay card to access electronic gaming machines and set binding pre-commitment limits on their spending.
However, the government amended the rules soon after unveiling the trial in July, making it optional for players to set those limits. Critics say the change undermines the original goal of reducing gambling harm by letting users gamble without enforced caps.
The trial forms part of the government’s wider strategy to modernise poker machine regulation and tackle problem gambling, but local leaders argue it fails to deliver meaningful protections.
Electronic gaming machines (colloquially known as pokies) are regarded as one of the most harmful types of real money gambling in Australia, but powerful lobby groups have continued to strengthen their grip over government and communities.
It has been more than 15 years since the Australian government’s Productivity Commission recommended mandatory pre-commitment for pokies.
Monash, one of the councils involved, reported $126 million in losses from its 955 poker machines in 2024-25 — the third-highest total in Victoria.
Across the state, Victorians lost a record $3.14 billion on poker machines last financial year, with the three councils in the trial accounting for more than 10 percent of that total. Despite welcoming the trial in principle, Ballarat and Monash councils say its voluntary structure represents a missed opportunity to properly assess the benefits of mandatory loss limits and stronger harm-prevention measures.
The YourPlay cards were estimated to cost AUD$179million to roll out in 2017, with no updated costings available.
While Australia has attempted to curb poker machines in clubs and pubs, they are yet to regulated online casinos, with many based in offshore locations targeting players down under.