Woolworths rules out $1 bet limits on slot machines

Woolworths chairman Gordon Cairns raised his doubts as to whether $1 bet limits would have any effect on helping problem gamblers, local media reports.

The supermarket chain owns more than 330 pubs and hotels across the country, most of which operate poker machines.

When asked about whether he would consider following Coles, which owns 89 hotels in the country to introduce $1 maximum bets on poker machines, Cairns replied that there is “no empirical evidence that [bet limits] will improve the incidences of problem gambling.”

Instead, he noted that Woolworths was the first national hotel operator to adopt voluntary pre-commitment, a system that allows gamblers to nominate a maximum spend or time limit on a poker machine.

“We are the most responsible operator of gaming machines in Australia and we will have that validated by a recognized world authority from Canada that is coming down to audit us,” said Cairns.

Cairns said that the company was committed to ensuring that people suffering from problem gambler were well looked after.

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