I am not just writing this because I have an investment in a gaming machine company. It just seems to me that more and more people are trying to kill the ‘peoples’ fun….. and I demand an end to the mascarade.

The latest stoush
In the blue corner you have Joe Bevan, sure he may not be all that smart but he lives in a community where you can go down to the local pub or club, have himself a few beers a meal and a flutter on the pokies and take your mind off life for a while.

In the red corner please allow me to introduce you to Barry Bansalot. While ignoring the fact that poker machines are a glorified cash register these people have decided that they are far more intelligent than you or I and must make the decision for ‘us’ to protect ‘us’ from these evil machines.

I rarely play a poker machine (I don’t begrudge those who do) but I am fully aware of the fact they are programmed to ensure that they pay out about 13% less than is put into them. Ie. The longer you play, the more you lose and if you don’t know that, well I suggest you have a long hard look at why anyone does anything in this country, starts with ‘p’ ends in ‘t’ and has an ‘rofi’ in the middle.

The regulation is that once your 18 you can do whatever you like as long as it’s within the law and that is it. Drink, bet, procreate and vote, but the thought of these Barry Bansalot’s is that you are stupid and unable to control certain actions so they apply laws to you. Some laws are for the safety of the general public, others for your for your health. But this new proposed legislation is designed to stop you from making a free decision to spend your own money and control your spending.

They are saying. You are too stupid to control your budget so we will do it for you. That I cannot stand for.

I am sure there are some people who have a pokie addiction, just as I am sure that there are people with alcohol, smoking, working, fasting, eating, cafine, exercising, shopping, sex having, computer gaming, television watching, speeding (dangerous driving), extreme sporting, self helping, self deprecating, porn watching, murdering, religious, do gooding and any number of the endless amount of addictions that exist in this world. The reality is that should be up to the individual only!! and society as a whole should not be punished for the individuals inability to control themselves!