Anti-fun campaigners in Australia have surpassed even themselves with their latest gambling=evil claims. Led by the MP-that-condemns-everything Nick Xenophon, the group is claiming that putting children’s amusement arcades within spitting distance of casinos, or anywhere else, is threatening to create a nation of gambling addicts. In light of this, Xenophon wants a review of one indoor theme park in particular – Galactic Circus, which is within the Crown complex.
“This is grossly irresponsible, it grooms kids to gamble, and it is a cynical move of behalf of the complex,” Mr Xenophon babbled. “All these games do is reinforce the false cognition of gambling, that there’s a winner every time, making the kids of today the problem gamblers of tomorrow.”
If you think you recognize Xenophon it’s because…we’ve been here before. Over the past couple of years he’s railed against gambling as if it took his wife off home and gave her a good seeing to. It has included, in particular, attacking online gambling and stating that it should be banned outright. Much like crack cocaine, no?
We’re assuming he’s never been to supermarket and seen that they sell cigarettes right next to children’s magazines. Sometimes they even have beer next to the soft drinks. And we’re pretty sure he’d do his nut if he found out that pornographic material is kept just above the mags that he likes. Probably Where’s Wally. Can’t think what else would make him question the notion of fun so much.
Another of those in cahoots with Xenophon is anti-pokies personality Paul Bendat of PokieAct. He for one is convinced one machine in particular has that arrogant air of conspiracy about it – the claw.
“Claw machines can be adjusted by the venue, some of these machines incorporate token/coins falling off trays that truly are just gambling,” he said.
We can only think he spent countless hours on them as a child and won nothing whereas his friends were reaping the rewards of “being in on the conspiracy”.
The time that Bendat and Xenophon have spent worrying about having an amusement arcade next to a casino would be better spent listening to Clubs Australia’s plan earlier this year to on this year to introduce gabling onto the school curriculum. Not that even that would really influence it either. By reading the research of Harvard professor Howard J. Shaffer you find that problem gambler numbers in the US (a similar country gambling-wise to Australia) have remained almost the same over the past 35 years. The research shows that a section of the population will always fall foul of a number of vices such as drugs, food, shopping, exercise and, of course, gambling.
