“Only 241,000 of the world’s poker machines are outside of dedicated gaming venues – of which 183,000 are in Australian pubs and clubs. “Australia has 0.3% of the world’s population but 6% of its conventional gaming machines and 18% of its poker machines,” report co-author Bill Browne says.

“If Tasmania joined WA in banning pub and club poker machines, they would be following the vast majority of the world’s countries,” Minshull said. “Tasmanian Labor’s policy of getting Poker machines out of Tasmania’s pubs and clubs is not a radical step but a step towards a global norm. “Tasmania has more pokies than India, Italy and the Netherlands combined, most countries, 226 out of 238, do not have any poker machines in pubs and clubs,” Director of The Australia Institute Tasmania, Leanne Minshull said. Western Australia restricts poker machines to the casino, and Tasmania may follow if it adopts an Anglicare proposal. The poker machine monopoly in Tasmanian is being reviewed by the state government. The report comes as the Tasmanian Labor Party announced a new policy to remove poker machines from pubs and clubs in the state by 2023.

Australia has three quarters (76%) of the world’s “pub and club” poker machines.Ī new report  from The Australia Institute Tasmania finds that Australia’s 187,000 pub and club poker machines represent 76% of the world’s poker machines outside of casinos and other dedicated venues.