Should pubs and clubs be allowed to remove the $250 withdrawal limit?

Across the country thousands of pubs and clubs have applied to have the $250 withdrawal limit removed from ATMs in gaming venues. But should they be allowed to do it?

To do so gaming venues must show the ATM limit would cause “unreasonable inconvenience to the community”.

So far the national gambling regulator had received more than 3200 applications for exemption and these are in the process of being evaluated.

The $250 limit was first brought in by the former Labor government with the aim to tackle problem gambling, and Australia does have a problem…. It is frightening to consider that Australians lose more money to gambling than any other people in the world.

The Productivity Commission in its 2010 report into Australia’s gambling industries recommended the withdrawal limit. It has estimated that 41% of revenue drawn from gambling machines comes from problem gamblers.

The proof could come from Victoria that has already banned ATMs from gaming venues and seen the amount of money lost by problem gamblers fall by $90 a session.

A repeal of poker-machine reforms passed the lower house last year. The bill is to be put to a vote in the Senate when it resumes on 3 March.

So let us know your say today, should they be allowed to remove the $250 limit? Or perhaps you think that it is an inconvenience that this amount of money cannot be withdrawn in gaming venues?