Comments on: Record Woolies profits but what about the damage? http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/27/record-woolies-profits-but-what-about-the-damage/ now with extra source Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:49:03 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: steve martin http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/27/record-woolies-profits-but-what-about-the-damage/#comment-4054 steve martin Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-4054 "three paragraphs in the results on corporate social responsibility make no mention of problem gamblers losing hundreds of millions playing with this most dangerous product."<br />The villains they also sell alcohol and cigarettes!<br />How about people taking personal responsibilty for their own actions. Pokies are legal - should they discard pokies because some have a problem with them;the same could be said of alcohol and cigarettes.<br />There is more than enough control by governments without adding to the lists of things that are verboten. “three paragraphs in the results on corporate social responsibility make no mention of problem gamblers losing hundreds of millions playing with this most dangerous product.”
The villains they also sell alcohol and cigarettes!
How about people taking personal responsibilty for their own actions. Pokies are legal - should they discard pokies because some have a problem with them;the same could be said of alcohol and cigarettes.
There is more than enough control by governments without adding to the lists of things that are verboten.

]]> By: Richard Wolff http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/27/record-woolies-profits-but-what-about-the-damage/#comment-4055 Richard Wolff Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-4055 In reply to Steve Martin, I agree that the pokies are legal. But 60 years ago, cars were legal that did not have basic seat belts or safety glass to protect drivers or passengers. Only enough victims killed or injured convinced the motor industry and Government that change was needed to reduce the number of victims from avoidable injuries or death. In 2008, the design of pokies may lead quickly to addiction and often financial devastation for the player and their family. Rational decision making is lost. When a 1 cent pokie can accept a $5.00 per spin bet, and accept $100 notes, and large linked jackpots are promoted on the basis that higher bets increase your chances of winning the jackpot, it is little wonder players are drawn quickly into the vortex from which many will not escape with their life in order. Alcohol and cigarettes remain legal but the law prevents serving someone who is drunk, and smoking in public areas etc. No limits apply to how much can be lost to a pokie ! This must be corrected urgently. To gain a good understanding of the crisis, I would suggest you visit www.daviidv.com which is a website combining short videos and related webpage links on the pokies crisis. For extra information just on the Woolworths issue in this article, you could go to http://sites.google.com/site/akadaviidv/Home/woolworths-and-pokies . There is a real community problem that left as it is may continue to reach a growing number of the community. For everybody's sake, this should not be allowed to happen. In reply to Steve Martin, I agree that the pokies are legal. But 60 years ago, cars were legal that did not have basic seat belts or safety glass to protect drivers or passengers. Only enough victims killed or injured convinced the motor industry and Government that change was needed to reduce the number of victims from avoidable injuries or death. In 2008, the design of pokies may lead quickly to addiction and often financial devastation for the player and their family. Rational decision making is lost. When a 1 cent pokie can accept a $5.00 per spin bet, and accept $100 notes, and large linked jackpots are promoted on the basis that higher bets increase your chances of winning the jackpot, it is little wonder players are drawn quickly into the vortex from which many will not escape with their life in order. Alcohol and cigarettes remain legal but the law prevents serving someone who is drunk, and smoking in public areas etc. No limits apply to how much can be lost to a pokie ! This must be corrected urgently. To gain a good understanding of the crisis, I would suggest you visit http://www.daviidv.com which is a website combining short videos and related webpage links on the pokies crisis. For extra information just on the Woolworths issue in this article, you could go to http://sites.google.com/site/akadaviidv/Home/woolworths-and-pokies . There is a real community problem that left as it is may continue to reach a growing number of the community. For everybody’s sake, this should not be allowed to happen.

]]> By: Peter http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/27/record-woolies-profits-but-what-about-the-damage/#comment-4056 Peter Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-4056 Pokies are legal and if you want to blame someone I would look at John Brumby not Woolworths.<br /><br />They employ 180,000 people and pay better wages than their major competitor. They also give employees a 5 percent discount on their groceries which helps their workers.<br /><br />They are are not perfect but who is? At least they have been good to their shareholders and employees which is a lot better than a lot of other companies I know of. <br /><br /> Pokies are legal and if you want to blame someone I would look at John Brumby not Woolworths.

They employ 180,000 people and pay better wages than their major competitor. They also give employees a 5 percent discount on their groceries which helps their workers.

They are are not perfect but who is? At least they have been good to their shareholders and employees which is a lot better than a lot of other companies I know of.

]]> By: Sue Pinkerton http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/27/record-woolies-profits-but-what-about-the-damage/#comment-4057 Sue Pinkerton Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-4057 Aaah! The things you can do when you have money and can find surety of $1million IN CASE you loose a class action against a multi-million dollar corporation.<br /><br />Poker machines all have a clause on them that states, "malfunction voids payments". A gambler may have been using a faulty machine for hours before they find out (usually AFTER they win a large jackpot) that the machine is faulty. With no way to prove they have even used the faulty machine - let alone how much they have spent - their rights to reimbursement of their costs under consumer rights law are effectively voided right along with their rights to collect a jackpot win.<br /> <br />The average gambler whose rights are not upheld by regulators and industry alike, usually doesn't have the kind of money to pay laywers that stock market investors have. Therefore, gaming machine operators continue to profit at the expense of their customers rights under federal law.<br /><br />It's time available, government regulators forced gambling machine operators to introduce mandatory smart technologies so consumers can obtain receipts of their spending (as required under federal tax laws) and to prove how much they have spent where machines are found to be faulty (an all too frequent occurence).<br /><br />Sue Pinkerton<br />President of Duty of Care inc<br />Problem Gambling Research Consultant.<br />Mob - 0421 846 188 <br /> Aaah! The things you can do when you have money and can find surety of $1million IN CASE you loose a class action against a multi-million dollar corporation.

Poker machines all have a clause on them that states, “malfunction voids payments”. A gambler may have been using a faulty machine for hours before they find out (usually AFTER they win a large jackpot) that the machine is faulty. With no way to prove they have even used the faulty machine - let alone how much they have spent - their rights to reimbursement of their costs under consumer rights law are effectively voided right along with their rights to collect a jackpot win.

The average gambler whose rights are not upheld by regulators and industry alike, usually doesn’t have the kind of money to pay laywers that stock market investors have. Therefore, gaming machine operators continue to profit at the expense of their customers rights under federal law.

It’s time available, government regulators forced gambling machine operators to introduce mandatory smart technologies so consumers can obtain receipts of their spending (as required under federal tax laws) and to prove how much they have spent where machines are found to be faulty (an all too frequent occurence).

Sue Pinkerton
President of Duty of Care inc
Problem Gambling Research Consultant.
Mob - 0421 846 188

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