Coalition has own plans for gambling controls

Human Services Minister Alan Tudge has pushed back at calls from crossbenchers for new controls on pokies and gambling advertising, AFR reports.

Last week, Senator Nick Xenophon and the Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie vowed to use their key crossbench positions in the new parliament to put pokies and gambling ad controls back on the federal agenda.

Among the policies include a mandatory A$1 maximum bet on poker machines, and the banning of sports betting advertising during G-rated television broadcasts.

However, Tudge said Coalition was already addressing problem gambling through new legislation. The Human Services Minister said the government will prioritize its own legislation to address problem gambling when parliament sits again, which will include a self-exclusion register and a voluntary pre-commitment scheme.

"The Turnbull Government is implementing the most significant package of reforms ever put in place by an Australian Government to combat problem gambling, in response to the O'Farrell Review into Illegal Offshore Wagering," Tudge said in a statement.

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