Australian Poker Machine Reform Could Be Pushed Back to 2016

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has backed off somewhat on his demands for poker machine reform, hoping that the Australian government can pass regulations that could go into effect on a less demanding timeline.

Wilkie, who has been a critical cog in maintaining the Gillard government, has now said that he accepts the need for a more "sensible" timeline during which Australia's clubs and pubs would have to cooperate with mandatory pre-commitment technology.

According to The Australian, legislation on the pre-commitment technology would still be introduced by May 8, which was a key provision in the agreement between Wilkie and Gillard. However, it's possible that the final deadline for all venues to introduce this technology may be pushed back from 2014 to as late as 2016.

Poker machine reform has become one of the hottest issues in Australian politics -- as much because of the political background of the debate as the issue itself. Because Wilkie agreed to add his seat to create a fragile coalition that allowed the formation of the Gillard government, keeping him on board is critical for Gillard. However, that support came with several conditions, including a guarantee that the Gillard government would introduce legislation regulating the poker machine industry.

The controversial legislation has fairly wide support throughout Australia, but has met fierce opposition from the clubs industry, which believes such technology could severely impact their business. Under the technology, most poker machines (known as slot machines throughout much of the world) would be fitted with technology that would require players to use a smart card to activate the machine. Before receiving a card, players would need to commit to loss limits. If a machine saw that players had already reached their loss limit, it would no longer allow them to play.

Several compromises are still possible that would lessen the impact of the legislation in an effort to get clubs on board with the new regulations. One suggestion has been to allow machines with a maximum bet of less than $1 to be exempt from the pre-commitment technology. In addition, it's possible that a limited number of clubs could participate in a trial program in an attempt to judge the potential effects of the pre-commitment scheme.