THE CITY of Greater Bendigo has dropped its "accessible but not convenient" stance on gambling in favour of "harm minimisation" after strong debate in its council chamber.
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Councillors voted through the new policy this week after city officers reworded sections that had raised the ire of Bendigo pokies venues.
That included clauses some feared would pose a risk to community group funding pools or venue's futures.
They also included a requirement to advocate for no new electronic gambling machines across the municipality.
Councillor and public health expert Jennifer Alden said anyone who had worked in the community health, financial assistance or domestic violence support sectors would know how gambling could affect wellbeing.
Without a change, the council would have remained in conflict with its own policies to reduce harm from gambling on venues and land it owned.
Councillor Vaughan Williams questioned the effectiveness of statements in the policy, including one about "working with organisations, clubs or community groups to minimise their financial dependence on the proceeds of gambling".
"I mean, that's just a statement, it doesn't really tell you what we are looking at," he said.
Councillor Greg Penna opposed the policy after meeting with businesses and people that could be affected.
"I see and hear their argument. This, again, is where a minority affects the majority, and the majority usually are not considered," he said.
Cr Vaughan said 99.3 per cent of people were not classed as "problem gamblers", many of whom just wanted to have a little fun while they were out and about.
Councillor David Fagg said it was time to stop talking about gambling as if it affected a small minority of people.
"The harm goes way beyond that," he said.
Councillor Julie Sloan said gambling harm occurred across a continuum, pointing research that suggested it could harm non "problem gamblers" as well as their friends, family and coworkers.
The new policy would "minimise harm through supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction", Cr Sloan said.
Cr O'Rourke said she had a "middle of the road" stance on the issue.
"I know the industry supports jobs. However, I feel we have enough EGMs [electronic gambling machines] in this municipality and I feel very confident that we are on a journey," she said.
"We do need to educate our community, we do have to start somewhere."
Cr O'Rourke said changes to a previous draft that spoke to fears for the future of venues.
"There is a lot of misinformation in the community about venues being stopped or closed and that it not correct," she said.
The new policy covers many forms of gambling but has a specific focus on electronic gambling machines, since the council has more influence over them.
People lost $50,671,968 in Greater Bendigo's 661 electronic gambling machines in 2018/19.
Cr Fagg said the final policy had copped criticism from gamblers and the industry as well as people who thought the policy had been watered down too far.
"No-one is completely happy with this policy, as it stands ... to me, that sounds like we have a pragmatic compromise," he said.
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