Pokie reform "won't hurt"

JOHN Turner remembers the days when you could only gamble on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Now the Durack Inala Bowls Club chairman still can't believe how accessible gambling has become to everyone - at all hours.

The 67-year-old said he was "all for" the proposed pokie legislation which would introduce pre-commitment cards.

He said the legislation would have no effect on grassroot clubs such as the bowls club.

"We don't have enough poker machines to bring compulsive gamblers in," he said.

"It may affect bigger clubs such as Blue Fin Fishing Club though.

"But a bit of control is not going to hurt anyone.

"Gambling is a huge problem in our local area."

When the Satellite called Blue Fin Fishing Club, the manager did not wish to make any comment.

Federal Member for Moreton Graham Perrett said local clubs would continue to provide good value services to members.

"But this need not be at the expense of people who are gambling away their entire family budget," he said.

"I would have thought clubs would want to do whatever they can to protect their members who may be at risk of problem gambling."

Mr Perrett said pre-commitment would help to give pokie players a tool to help them think about how much they were willing to lose, to set their own limits and stick to them.

"The fact is there up to five million Australians affected by problem gambling each year, including those with a gambling addiction, their friends, family and employers, and too many of those people live here in Queensland," he said.