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After battling a crippling pokies addiction and losing approximately $500,000 over 15 years, Seselja is advocating for the implementation of national loss limits on gaming machines.
She urges the federal government to introduce caps on daily, monthly, and annual losses, emphasizing that “people’s lives are at stake.”
“We’ve been facing a crisis for decades,” she stated.
“Our nation stands as an outlier, suffering the highest levels of gambling harm globally, with poker machines leading the charge.”
Seselja is proposing a cap on individual losses: $100 per day, $500 per month, and $5,000 per year, which she believes will “literally save lives.”
The petition has already attracted close to 11,500 signatures.
Murray MP Helen Dalton was among the first politicians to throw her support behind Seselja’s calls for a reform.
“I don’t think many Australians realise how much can be lost on poker machines so quickly,” Dalton told nine.com.au.
Dalton said she believes most Australians would support loss limits.
”If poker machine losses were limited, the machines would be about paying a small about of money for some entertainment, just like going to the movies,” she added.
“But right now, poker machines are about people losing everything [and] because of this [are] addictive and potentially deadly.”
Loss limits are aimed at reducing the risk of gambling addiction at the source, Seselja explained.
She said such legislation would have “absolutely” stopped her own addiction at age 18.
The fight to get the government’s attention hasn’t been easy.
Seselja said profits are being prioritised over people.
“It’s an uphill battle,” she said.
“I’ve been in unpaid advocacy for a decade because people’s lives are at stake.
“I almost took my life in 2012 and I don’t take that responsibility that I carry lightly.”
The Tasmanian government previously made plans to introduce cashless pokies cards with loss limits.
But the roll-out was indefinitely paused after the state flagged a desire to work on a national solution.
The government has since proposed a ticketed poker machine system, capped at $200 per ticket and $100 per machine.
Some international jurisdictions have introduced loss limits, including Norway and Finland.
The Victorian Greens have also lobbied for a $50 default limit on how much a person can lose in a 24-hour period.
Seselja is asking all Australian states and territories to join together for a national approach to address gambling harm.
“It’s just horrific that this landscape has been allowed to continue to thrive in this country,” she added.
“There’s so much unnecessary human cost, because no one has the political strength to stand up to this predatory industry.”
There are many different ways to get help and information about gambling. You can visit the National Gambling Helpline or call on 1800 858 858.
Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.
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