Pokies pub test

Australia has most of the world’s pub and club poker machines

 Discussion paper  -  Bill Browne Leanne Minshull  - December 2017

ABOUT THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE

The Australia Institute is an independent public policy think tank based in Canberra. It is funded by donations from philanthropic trusts and individuals and commissioned research. We barrack for ideas, not political parties or candidates. Since its launch in 1994, the Institute has carried out highly influential research on a broad range of economic, social and environmental issues. 

OUR PHILOSOPHY

As we begin the 21st century, new dilemmas confront our society and our planet. Unprecedented levels of consumption co-exist with extreme poverty. Through new technology we are more connected than we have ever been, yet civic engagement is declining. Environmental neglect continues despite heightened ecological awareness. A better balance is urgently needed.

The Australia Institute’s directors, staff and supporters represent a broad range of views and priorities. What unites us is a belief that through a combination of research and creativity we can promote new solutions and ways of thinking. 

OUR PURPOSE – ‘RESEARCH THAT MATTERS’

The Institute publishes research that contributes to a more just, sustainable and peaceful society. Our goal is to gather, interpret and communicate evidence in order to both diagnose the problems we face and propose new solutions to tackle them.

The Institute is wholly independent and not affiliated with any other organisation. Donations to its Research Fund are tax deductible for the donor. Anyone wishing to donate can do so via the website at https://www.tai.org.au or by calling the Institute on 02 6130 0530. Our secure and user-friendly website allows donors to make either one-off or regular monthly donations and we encourage everyone who can to donate in this way as it assists our research in the most significant manner.

Level 1, Endeavour House, 1 Franklin St Canberra, ACT 2601

Tel: (02) 61300530

Email: mail@tai.org.au Website: www.tai.org.au ISSN: 1836-9014

Summary 

Most countries do not have poker machines. Australia is unusual in using poker machines as its main form of gaming machine, in having so many of them, and in allowing them in non-gambling venues (“pubs and clubs”).

Australia has about 0.3% of the world’s population, but 2.5% of its gaming machines. If Japan’s pachinko parlours are excluded, Australia has 6% of the world’s machines.

Gaming machines come in a variety of styles and “intensities”. Of these, poker machines (called “jackpot machines”, “fruit machines” or “slot machines” elsewhere in the world) are typically high-intensity because gamblers can lose large amounts of money very quickly – up to $1,200 an hour on some Australian machines.

Across the world, most gaming machines are not poker machines. Other styles include machines that simulate lotteries or table games, or machines with such low stakes and payouts that they qualify as “amusements with prizes”. Unusually, Australia’s 196,000 gaming machines are almost all poker machines. Overall, Australia has 18% of the world’s poker machines.

About 835,000 of the world’s 1,076,000 poker machines are in dedicated gambling venues, such as casinos, race tracks, betting agencies and slot halls. The remaining 241,000 poker machines worldwide are in non-gaming venues, including 183,000 poker machines in Australia’s pubs and clubs. This represents 76% of the world’s pub and club poker machines.

Introduction 

Australians lose more money gambling than anyone else in the world.¹ “Higher risk” gamblers – those that are problem or moderate-risk gamblers – make up 1.9–2.8% of the population,² with news.com.au recently reporting that only Norway and Ireland have a higher rate of higher risk gamblers.³ Problem gambling disproportionately occurs on poker machines.⁴ People who live closer to poker machines venues are more likely to be problem gamblers.⁵

The number, variety and distribution of gaming machines in Australia is therefore key to understanding our relationship with gambling.

The foundation of our study is the World Count of Gaming Machines, an annual worldwide survey of gaming machine numbers commissioned by the Australian gaming technology peak body, the Gaming Technologies Association. The most recent survey was published in April 2017, for the year 2016, and it gives a count of machines by type for each of the world’s 238 countries,⁶ as well as how many of those machines are “slots” (poker machines), video lottery terminals, video gaming machines, or “other”.⁷

Poker machines allow gamblers to bet on the result of three or more reels being “spun” (in practice, most are digital rather than mechanical, and the result of the spins is determined by a random number generator).⁸ On poker machines, gamblers can

typically choose how many “lines” to bet on with each spin and how much to bet on each line. Betting the maximum amount on the maximum number of lines can increases losses per hour by up to a hundred times compared to the minimum bet, with the potential to lose up to $1,200 an hour.⁹ Problem gamblers are much more likely to bet a dollar or more per button push than recreational gamblers.¹⁰

It is the combination of speed of play and money bet per play that sets poker machines apart. Other forms of gambling, like keno, blackjack or betting on the races, may allow for higher value bets, but many fewer bets per hour.¹¹

Other gaming machines include machines that simulate lotteries or table games,

“amusements with prizes” where the sums of money involved are trivial, games that test or purport to test skill, Japanese pachinko or pachislot machines, and unclassified machines. These are typically lower intensity than poker machines, because they have lower stakes, slower play, higher levels of player engagement, or combination of these factors.

The World Count only counts known, legal gaming machines, and only classifies them as poker machines if they are known to be poker machines. Some countries may have poker machines that are illegal, unregulated, unreported, unclassified, or otherwise not included in the World Count (and therefore in this analysis).

The World Count observes that Australia has about 2.5% of the world’s legally installed gaming machines, and the survey data shows that Australia has 18% of the world’s legally installed poker machines.

The survey also provides data on gaming machines per capita by country. Australia has 123 people per gaming machine, giving it the eleventh highest concentration of gaming machines in the world. Apart from Japan, the nine countries with higher concentrations are all tourist-focused and with very small populations. Most are resort islands.

 ¹ Toscano (2017) Australian gamblers lose a record $24b in a year, http://www.smh.com.au/business/australian-gamblers-lose-a-record-24b-in-a-year-20171201- gzwr30.html

² Productivity Commission (2010) Gambling, p 5.20

³ Reynolds (2017) The problem Australia just wants to ignore, http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real- life/news-life/the-problem-australia-just-wants-to-ignore/news- story/aaae7b457d21f420d4d5330ef73aa042

⁴ See for example Productivity Commission (2010) Gambling, s 5.4 and throughout

⁵ Young, Doran and Markham (2013) Too close to home: People who live near pokie venues at risk,

https://theconversation.com/too-close-to-home-people-who-live-near-pokie-venues-at-risk-20771

⁶ The survey includes autonomous regions of sovereign states, such as New Caledonia (a collectivity of France), the Åland Islands (a region of Finland) and Macao (a region of China).

⁷ Ziolkowski (2017) World Count of Gaming Machines 2016

⁸ See for example Ziolkowski (2017) World Count of Gaming Machines 2016

⁹ In some jurisdictions, depending on regulation. The “player return”, the average amount paid back in the dollar after each bet, also affects how long it takes the average gambler to lose an amount of money. Productivity Commission (2010) Gambling, table 11.1

¹⁰ Productivity Commission (2010) Gambling, s 11.2, table 11.3

¹¹ Productivity Commission (2010) Gambling, figure 11.2

¹² Ziolkowski (2017) World Count of Gaming Machines 2016

Table 1: Top 11 countries by prevalence of gaming machines

 

Rank	Country	People per gaming machine	People per poker machine
1	Sint Maarten	13	N/A
2	Åland Islands	16	449
3	Japan	28	N/A
4	Monaco	31	31
5	Aruba (Netherlands)	32	N/A
6	Macao (China)	43	43
7	Curacao	64	N/A
8	United States Virgin Islands	79	N/A
9	Antigua and Barbuda	115	N/A
10	St Kitts and Nevis	118	N/A
11	Australia	123	124

Source: Ziolkowski (2017) World Count of Gaming Machines 2016, p 10, 13

This report expands upon the findings of the World Count by considering the locations in which poker machines are available to determine which share of poker machines in each country are found in dedicated gaming venues (like casinos and gambling halls) versus all non-dedicated gaming venues, which can include pubs, sport or social clubs, restaurants, convenience stores, bars and taverns (collectively referred to “pubs and clubs” in this report).

Poker machines are not normally the main gaming machine

 138 countries have gaming machines of some form. However, poker machines are much rarer – having been identified in only 50 countries. 188 countries, about 79%, do not have poker machines.¹²

Among the 50 countries that do have poker machines, in many cases these machines represent a minority of all gaming machines in those countries. People would be much more likely to encounter a video lottery machine, an “amusement with prizes” or another lower intensity machine than a poker machine. By contrast, poker machines represent about 99.8% of all gaming machines in Australia.

Figure 1: Countries of the world and their gaming machine laws

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2: Poker machines as a share of all gaming machines in the world

 

 

 

 

 

Gaming machines per capita

Australia has an unusually high share of gaming machines – and especially poker machines – given its population. Australia has 0.3% of the world’s population, but 2.5% of the world’s gaming machines.

These figures are distorted by Japan’s pachinko and pachislot machines, which make up 58% of the world’s gaming machines. In a pachinko machine, many little metal balls are fed into a pinball-like structure. Depending on where they bounce, the player may win more balls or trigger a bonus award, and at the same time an anime video may play.¹³ The rate of play is relatively slow: 100 balls may cost 500 yen ($6) and take a minute to filter through the machine. The balls can be traded in for prizes, which must be taken off-premises to be traded for money.

Excluding Japan’s machines from the world count (and Japan’s population from world population), Australia has 6.0% of the world’s gaming machines, or twenty times more machines per person than average.

Most of the world’s gaming machines are not the high-intensity poker machines that make up almost all of Australia’s gaming machines.

Australia has 196,054 of the world’s 1,076,321 poker machines, or 18%.

Figure 3: Australia's share of population and gaming machines

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¹³ Tang (2012) The big business of Japan’s pachinko parlours,

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20120815-the-big-business-of-japans-pachinko-parlours

To put these figures a different way, there are 7,056 people per poker machine across the world – or 2,150 people per poker machine if you look only at countries with poker machines. In Australia, there are 123 people per poker machine. In the ACT, there are 86 people per poker machine. In NSW there are 82 people per poker machine.

Poker machines in pubs and clubs 

Australia is abnormal in allowing poker machines in non-gaming venues like pubs and clubs, instead of limiting them to casinos, race tracks, gambling halls, and the like. By our count, only 12 countries – representing 5% of all countries and 24% of countries with poker machines – allow poker machines in non-gaming venues.

Many of these countries still only have a small portion of their poker machines in non- gaming venues. For example, in the USA only about one in twenty poker machines are in pubs and clubs, and in Denmark it is fewer than one in four.

Australia and New Zealand are among just a handful of countries that have more poker machines in pubs and clubs than in casinos. Australia has 93% in pubs and clubs; New Zealand has 82%.

Western Australia is an anomaly in Australia for restricting its poker machines to casinos. By global standards, however, this is normal. It is the other Australian states and territories that are abnormal.

Conclusion 

Australia’s disproportionate number of gaming machines, and the choice to use high- intensity poker machines almost exclusively over other, lower-intensity machines, sets us apart from the practice of most of the rest of the world.

What makes us unusual even among countries with poker machines is that we permit poker machines in pubs and clubs in all states and territories bar Western Australia, and we place the majority of our poker machines in these venues. Australia’s pub and club poker machines account for 76% of the world’s pub and club poker machines, although we only have 0.3% of the world’s population.

Appendix 1: Notes

 Other machines

Countries without poker machines can also be affected by problem gambling, and identify their own devices – like video lottery terminals, pachinko machines and “amusement with prizes”– as problematic. In some cases, these devices are legally and technically distinct from poker machines, but have been specifically designed to look and feel like poker machines (some are called “slot-style” machines).¹⁴

Overall, gaming machines that are not poker machines are usually lower-intensity machines. They may involve lower sums of money, be slower to operate, only award prizes and not cash, have interruptions or involve interaction, or otherwise be less likely to create the conditions where problem gambling arises.
 

Dedicated gaming venues

Casinos and other gaming venues also create the conditions for problem gambling, and in some cases are widely available and easily accessible. A dedicated gambling hall with a bar is not necessarily very different to some pubs and clubs in Australia. In addition, a “casino” can be anything from a physically, visually and legally distinct institution to the gambling wing of a hotel.

Overall, a venue that has an accepted accommodation, social, dining or entertainment role unrelated to gambling is distinct from a venue that exists exclusively or primarily for gambling.

¹⁴ Kapralos (2008) Why tribes’ games aren’t slot machines, http://www.heraldnet.com/news/why- tribes-games-arent-slot-machines/

Appendix 2: Table of countries 

The Australia Institute wanted to determine what share of the world’s poker machines are in casinos and other dedicated gambling venues versus what share are in pubs, clubs and other venues where gambling is a secondary activity.

To do this, we recorded the 50 countries identified in the World Count of Gaming Machines 2016 as having poker machines (“slots”, in the World Count’s terminology), and how many machines they were estimated to have.

The Australia Institute went through each country and tried to determine if their known, legal poker machines, as reported by the World Count, were accounted for in casinos, gambling halls and other gaming venues, or if some may be in pubs and clubs.

In most cases, this was clear from one of the available methods:

·         Legislation that addressed all gaming machines

·         Legislation that addressed poker machines specifically

·         Comparing the number of poker machines in dedicated gaming venues as reported by regulators or other credible organisations to the number of poker machines in the country (as reported by the World Count)

For example, Cyprus has 4,133 poker machines. Poker machines are prohibited outside of casinos. Therefore 0% of its machines are in pubs and clubs. The Isle of Man has 160 poker machines in the most recent World Count. Its casino has 120 poker machines.

We have assumed that the remaining 40 poker machines (25%) are in pubs and clubs.

Because of differences in terminology and incompleteness in reporting, these figures are provisional. Details of our sources and reasoning are given below. We found evidence to justify drawing conclusions for 44 of the 50 countries with poker machines.

For the remaining six countries, we allocated 50% of poker machines to gaming venues and 50% to pubs and clubs for three of the countries (Moldova, Austria and Spain), and we allocated 100% of poker machines to pubs and clubs for the remaining three (Rwanda, Ireland and The Netherlands). For each country, the decision was based on how much evidence we could find of casino poker machines. In any case, poker machines in these countries represent less than 2% of the world’s poker machines.

Table 2: World's poker machines (PMs)

 

Country	Total PMs	Pub and club PMs	Population (millions)	People per PM (per pub and club PM)	Notes
Åland Islands	65	0	0.03	449	Casino and cruises. One company holds the gambling monopoly (PAF).
Albania	240	0	3.0	12,661	The Regency Casino accounts for all 240 poker machines.i
Armenia	345	0	3.1	8,844	Casinos and gaming parlours.ii
Australia	196,768	184,537	24.2	124 (133)	Detailed breakdown in Table 4 below. Our figure matches those reported elsewhere.iii
Austria	3,231	1,616	8.7	2,696 (5,393)	Inconclusive. A conservative approximation of 50% in pubs and clubs has been used. Casino Austria’s venues account for 1,900 slot machines.iv Up to three poker machines are permitted in non-casino, non-gaming hall venues, with a maximum bet of EUR 1.v
Belarus	921	0	9.6	10,391	Casinos and gambling houses.vi
Belgium	1,705	0	11.4	6,692	Casinos and gaming arcades. Other gaming machines permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.vii
Bulgaria	23,545	0	7.1	303	Casinos and gambling halls.viii
Cambodia	3,326	0	16.0	4,798	Banned outside of casinos in 2009.ix
Canada	42,263	0	36.3	859	Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.x
Croatia	10,660	0	4.3	405	Casinos and slot clubs.
Cyprus	4,133	0	1.2	292	Banned outside of casinos.xi
Denmark	26,000	5,980	5.6	215 (935)	Estimate based on the ratio of restaurant and gaming arcade revenue from poker machines.xii
Estonia	2,179	0	1.3	578	Separate gambling locations.xiii
France	21,706	0	66.8	3,079	Casinos.xiv
Germany	7,840	0	80.7	10,296	Casino poker machines account for all those reported in the World Count. Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.xv
Greece	3,551	0	10.8	3,034	Banned outside of casinos. Other gaming machines permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.xvi
Hungary	1,702	0	9.9	5,802	Banned outside of casinos. Ban criticised, but re-legalisation does not appear to have occurred.xvii
India	478	0	1,266.9	2,650,384	Casinos.
Ireland	5,661	5,661	5.0	875 (875)	Members’ clubs and casino-like bodies. The distribution is unclear. A conservative approximation of 100% in members’ clubs has been used.xviii
Isle of Man	160	40	0.1	551 (2,205)	Palace Hotel Casino accounts for 120 poker machines.xix

Italy	2,342	0	62.0	26,476	Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.xx
Kazakhstan	355	0	18.4	51,719	Casinos.
Kosovo	50	0	1.9	37,660	Casinos and slot machine terminals.xxi
Lithuania	701	0	2.9	4,072	“Category A” machines are limited to casinos and account for the poker machines reported in the World Count. Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.xxii
Luxembourg	280	0	0.6	2,080	Banned outside of casinos.xxiii
Macao	13,826	0	0.6	43	Casinos.xxiv
Macedonia	1,929	0	2.1	1,089	Casinos and slot machine halls. Other gaming machines permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.xxv
Malta	988	0	0.4	420	Dedicated gaming venues only.xxvi
Mauritius	1,783	0	1.3	756	Casinos and gaming houses.xxvii
Moldova	3,457	1,729	3.5	1,015 (2,031)	Inconclusive. A conservative approximation of 50% in pubs and clubs has been used.
Monaco	992	0	0.03	31	Banned outside of casinos.xxviii
Montenegro	1,644	0	0.6	392	Casinos and slot machine clubs. Note that slot machine clubs can also serve beverages or food, but they have a minimum number of slot machines (10).xxix
Netherlands	710	710	17.0	23,968	Inconclusive. A conservative approximation of 100% in pubs and clubs has been used. Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues, but it also appears that slot machines are permitted in casinos, arcades and cafes/restaurants.xxx
New Caledonia	156	0	0.3	1,765	Casino Royal and Casino De Noumea account for all poker machines in the World Count.xxxi
New Zealand	19,204	15,717	4.5	233 (285)	Single- and multi-venue sites and clubs between them account for 15,717 gaming machines.xxxii
Peru	89,874	0	30.7	342	Casinos and slot machine houses.xxxiii
Philippines	17,476	0	102.6	5,872	Venues not accessible to the general public and three-star hotels and resorts only.xxxiv
Romania	58,197	0	21.6	371	Specialist premises only. Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.xxxv
Rwanda	60	60	13.0	216,474	Inconclusive. A conservative approximation of 100% in pubs and clubs has been used.
Singapore	4,700	2,350	5.8	1,230 (2,460)	Permitted in social clubs, with almost 1,900 machines in “slot club facilities”. A conservative approximation of 50% in pubs and clubs has been used.xxxvi
Slovakia	5,037	0	5.4	1,081	Casinos and gambling houses. Gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues, but with a maximum stake of EUR 0.10.xxxvii Slot machines were banned from bars and pubs in 2013.xxxviii
Slovenia	8,213	0	2.0	241	Casinos and gambling halls.xxxix

Solomon Islands	20	0	0.6	31,751	Honiara Coral Sea Resort and Casino accounts for all poker machines in the World Count.xl
South Africa	24,070	0	54.3	2,256	Other gaming machines are available outside of dedicated gaming venues.xli
Spain	3,066	1,533	48.6	15,839 (31,679)	Inconclusive. A conservative approximation of 50% in pubs and clubs has been used.xlii
Sweden	1,117	0	9.9	8,846	The four casinos account for all poker machines in the World Count.xliii Other gaming machines are available outside of dedicated gaming venues.xliv
Switzerland	4,402	0	8.2	1,858	Casinos. Other gaming machines are available outside of dedicated gaming venues.xlv
USA	455,591	22,780	323.1	709 (14,185)	Detailed breakdown in   Table 3 below.
Vanuatu	316	0	0.3	878	Casinos.
Total	1,076,321	240,865

Table 3: United States of America's poker machines (PMs)

 

State	Total PMs	Pub and club PMs	Population (millions)	People per PM (per pub and club PM)	Notes
Colorado	14,280	0	5.5	388	Casinos.xlvi
Connecticut	9,280	0	3.6	385	Casinos.
Florida	8,676	0	20.6	2,376	Pari-mutuel facilities. Push to expand to other dedicated gaming venues rejected in May 2017.xlvii
Georgia	220	0	10.3	46,865	Casino cruises. Other gaming machines are available in licensed locations.xlviii
Indiana	19,298	0	6.6	344	Dedicated gaming venues.xlix
Iowa	17,418	0	3.1	180	Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.l
Maine	1,652	0	1.3	806
Maryland	11,750	0	6.0	512	Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.li
Michigan	31,750	0	9.9	313	Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.lii
Mississippi	31,099	0	3.0	96	Poker machines in casinos account for all of those reported in the World Count.liii
Missouri	17,457	0	6.1	349	Reported casino/casino boat slots account for the figure reported in the World Count.liv
Nevada	169,723	18,657	2.9	17 (158)	18,657 machines in restricted (non-casino) venues.lv Some restricted venues appear to be dedicated gaming venues,lvi but for this report they have all been attributed to “pubs and clubs”.
New Jersey	14,125	0	8.9	633
New Mexico	18,868	686	2.1	110 (3,034)	66 licensed clubs, with a total of 686 machines as of 2015.lvii
New York	13,823	0	19.7	1,428	Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.lviii
Ohio	7,816	0	11.6	1,486	Poker machines in casinos account for all of those reported in the World Count.lix
Oregon	7,770	0	4.1	527	Poker machines in tribal casinos account for all of those reported in the World Count. Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.lx
Pennsylvania	26,074	0	12.8	490	Poker machines in casinos account for all of those reported in the World Count.lxi The law may change to permit other gaming machines in non-dedicated gaming venues.lxii
South Carolina	428	0	5.0	11,591	The law may change to permit poker machines in non-dedicated gaming venues.lxiii
South Dakota	3,209	0	0.9	270	Other gaming machines are permitted in non-dedicated gaming venues.lxiv
Washington	30,875	0	7.3	236	Casinos.
Total	455,591	19,343

Table 4: Australia's poker machines (PMs)

 

State	Total PMs	Pub and club PMs	Population (millions)	People per PM (per pub and club PM)	Notes
ACT	4,635	4,635	0.4	86 (86)	Gaming machines are currently limited to pubs and clubs, but that is set to change.lxv
NSW	94,361	92,861	7.8	82 (84)	Star Casino has 1,500 poker machines.lxvi
NT	2,098	1,176	0.2	117 (209)	Maximum 1,852 pub and club poker machines, but current numbers are below the caps.lxvii
Qld	46,873	43,127	4.9	104 (113)	Maximum 19,500 hotel poker machines and 24,705 club poker machines, but current numbers are below the caps.lxviii
SA	13,366	12,210	1.7	128 (140)	As of June 2017, clubs have 1,139 machines out of an entitlement of 1,268, hotels 9,997 machines out of an entitlement of 10,287, and “special circumstances” has 1,074 machines out of an entitlement of 1,168.lxix The casino had 964 as of June 2016.lxx
Tas	3,596	2,221	0.5	145 (219)	As of October 2017, hotels and clubs have 2,365 machines out of an entitlement of 2,500. There are 1,185 machines in the casinos and 36 on the Spirit of Tasmania vessels.lxxi The figure of 2,221 is used to be consistent with others in the Australian gambling statistics report.
Vic	28,935	26,307	6.1	211 (232)	Melbourne Casino is entitled to 2,628 machines.lxxii
WA	2,190	0	2.6	1,198 (N/A)	Gaming machines are limited to the casino.
Total	196,054	182,691	24.2	124 (133)

Note: All states’ results have been checked against Australian gambling statistics, 33^rd edition. This source differed substantially from the World Count in only one jurisdiction: the Northern Territory. In that instance, the Australian gambling statistics figures have been used.

 

ⁱ Regency Casino (n.d.) Slots, http://regencycasino.al/?page_id=43

ⁱⁱ Grigoryan (2014) Armenia: Gambling taxing the poor, http://www.eurasianet.org/node/68444

ⁱⁱⁱ See for example Lawson (2016) Poker machines make twice the profit in casinos: New study, http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/poker-machines-make-twice- the-profit-in-casinos-new-study-20160317-gnldix.html

^iv Casinos Austria (n.d.) Slot machines, p 6, https://www.casinos.at/downloads/Slots-English.pdf

^v International Comparative Legal Guide (2016) Austria: Gambling 2017, https://iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling/gambling-2017/austria; Schwartz (2016) Gaming in Austria: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/6-635-8293

^vi See for example Belsat (2017) Belarus planning to reduce taxes for casinos and slot machines in 2018, http://belsat.eu/en/news/belarus-planning-to-reduce-taxes-for- casinos-and-slot-machines-in-2018/

^vii Paepe (2016) Gaming in Belgium: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/6-635-9928

^viii Chatalbashev (2016) Gaming in Bulgaria: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/6-635-4308; Gambling Act 2014 (Bulgaria), articles 9(6), 64–70, http://www.dkh.minfin.bg/en/page/9

^ix LH (2014) When the luck runs out, https://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/10/casinos-cambodia

^x Note that in Canada “slot machine” refers to any gaming machine. Hincer (2016) Gaming in Canada: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/6-635-9706 Canadian Environmental Health Atlas (n.d.) VLT accessibility, http://www.ehatlas.ca/video-lottery-terminals/exposure/vlt-accessibility; Casino Committee (2008)

Regulating gaming in Ireland, p 56-57, http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Casino%20(Eng)%20for%20Web.pdf/Files/Casino%20(Eng)%20for%20Web.pdf

^xi Couccoullis (2016) Gaming in Cyprus: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/3-635-8647

^xii Spillemyndigheden (2017) Danish gambling market statistics, second quarter, 2017, p 15, https://spillemyndigheden.dk/sites/default/files/filer-til- download/danish_gambling_market_statistics_q2_2017.pdf

^xiii Gambling Act 2008 (Estonia), s 37, https://www.riigiteataja.ee/en/eli/515012016007/consolide

^xiv Mullenex and Richard (2016) Gaming in France: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/9-634-4247

^xv There is a distinction between Glücksspielgeräte (slot machines), found in casinos, and Geldspielgeräte (gaming machines), found in arcades, restaurants and hotels. Becker (n.d.) Recent developments in German gambling law, https://www.law.kuleuven.be/gambling/documents/becker_recent_developments_in_german_gambling_law.ppt; Hofmann, Spitz and Maier (2016) Gaming in Germany:

Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/1-635-3486

^xvi Reuters (2011) Key facts on Greek gaming market, https://www.reuters.com/article/greece-betting/factbox-key-facts-on-greek-gaming-market- idUKLDE6510IL20110126; note that a more recent source describes poker machines simply as “permitted”, but only identifies licences for video lottery terminals:

Couccoullis and Couccoullis (2016) Gaming in Greece: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/8-635-8678

^xvii Helembai, Bird and Iroda (2016) Gaming in Hungary: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/8-635-6641; Court of Justice of the European Union (2015) Hungarian legislation which prohibits the operation of slot machines outside casinos may be contrary to the principle of freedom to provide services, https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2015-06/cp150069en.pdf; Stradbrooke (2015) Hungary’s new slots plans, considers new online amendments, https://calvinayre.com/2015/06/11/business/european-union-court-slams-hungary-slots-plans/

^xviii SBS (2012) Factbox: Pokies around the world, http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2012/01/23/factbox-pokies-around-world

^xix Palace Hotel and Casino (n.d.) Slots lounge, http://palacehotel.co.im/slots-games/

^xx Mancini (2016) Gaming in Italy: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/4-636-9099

^xxi Law on Games of Chance (Kosovo), article 3(1)(1.4), https://www.kuvendikosoves.org/common/docs/ligjet/Law%20on%20Games%20of%20Chances.pdf

^xxii European Casino Association (n.d.) Lithuania, http://www.europeancasinoassociation.org/country-by-country-report/lithuania/; Gaming Law 2001 (Lithuania), articles 2(1), 12, http://www.elibrary.lt/resursai/DB/LPD/Istatymai/Istatymai/pd_39a.pdf; LPT (2016) Market update 2016, http://www.lpt.lt/en/reviews-and-reports/

^xxiii Kitai and Steichen (2016) Gaming in Luxembourg: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/6-635-7991

^xxiv Proenca (2016) Gaming in Macau: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/3-634-9931

^xxv Law on Games of Chance and Entertainment Games, articles 4-5, http://www.finance.gov.mk/files/u11/Law%20on%20games%20of%20chance%20and%20entertianment%20games.pdf; Republic of Macedonia Ministry of Finance (n.d.)

Greater security and reduction of grey economy when organizing games of chance, new Law envisages, http://www.finance.gov.mk/en/node/1771

^xxvi A Class 3 licence is only be granted to dedicated gaming venues, and a Class 3 licence covers operating gaming devices. Classes 1 and 2 cover the manufacture and selling of gaming devices. Gaming Devices Regulations 2011 (Malta), s 11, 32, http://www.mga.org.mt/wp-content/uploads/Gaming-Devices-Regulations-EN.pdf

^xxvii The Gambling Regulatory Authority Act 2007 (Mauritius), third schedule, http://gra.govmu.org/English/Documents/GRA%20Act%202007%20V%20SP15.pdf; see also

Finance Act 2015 (Mauritius), p 280, http://www.mra.mu/download/FinanceAct2015.pdf

^xxviii Mullenex and Richard (2016) Gaming in Monaco: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/6-633-8511; Gambling Herald (2016) Why do Monaco laws forbid locals from gambling?, https://www.gamblingherald.com/why-do-monaco-laws-forbid-locals-from-gambling/

^xxix Law on Games of Chance 2004 (Montenegro), articles 3, 62, http://www.upravazaigrenasrecu.me/1/index.php/en/2014-11-12-11-53-23/laws

^xxx Casino Committee (2008) Regulating gaming in Ireland, p 36, http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Casino%20(Eng)%20for%20Web.pdf/Files/Casino%20(Eng)%20for%20Web.pdf; Kansspelautoriteit (n.d.) Application form for gaming machine type licence

^xxxi 144 slot machines in Casino Royal and 12 in Grand Casino: Casinos de Noumea (n.d.) Casino Royal: Slot machines, https://www.casinodenoumea.nc/en/casino- royal/slot-machines; Casinos de Noumea (n.d.) Grand Casino: Slot machines, https://www.casinodenoumea.nc/en/grand-casino/slot-machines

^xxxii All single- and multi-venue sites and clubs are identified in the department’s releases. New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (September 2017) All venues and numbers by territorial authority/district, https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Resource-material-Information-We-Provide-All-Venues-and-Numbers-by- Territorial-AuthorityDistrict; New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (September 2017) Society, venue and gaming machine numbers, https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Gambling-Statistics-2016-17/$file/Quarterly-Summary-of-GM-Sept-2017.pdf

^xxxiii Peruvian Times (2011) Wikileaks: Peru’s gaming sector “wide open” for money laundering, http://www.peruviantimes.com/27/wikileaks-perus-gaming-sector-wide- open-for-money-laundering/12407/

^xxxiv An Act further Amending Presidential Decree No. 1869, Otherwise Known as PAGCOR Charter 2007 (Philippines), p 19, http://www.pagcor.ph/transparency/docs/pagcor-charter.pdf; see also PAGCOR (2013) PAGCOR Technical Standards for Electronic Gaming Machines v 1.0, http://www.pagcor.ph/regulatory/pdf/PAGCOR%20Technical%20Standards%20version%201%200.pdf

^xxxv Baciu, Simion and Cosma (2016) Gaming in Romania: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/9-635-8908; see also Law no. 124 from 29^th of May, 2015

(Romania), article I

^xxxvi GGRAsia (2017) Singapore in sweeping changes to slot club rules, http://www.ggrasia.com/singapore-in-sweeping-changes-to-slot-club-rules/

^xxxvii Act on Gambling Games and on the Amendment to Certain Acts 2005 (Slovakia), articles 35(24), 48, https://www.finance.gov.sk/en/Components/CategoryDocuments/s_LoadDocument.aspx?categoryId=389&documentId=859;

^xxxviii Vilikovská (2011) President signs amended law on gambling in Slovakia, https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20040529/president-signs-amended-law-on-gambling-in- slovakia.html

^xxxix Casino Committee (2008) Regulating gaming in Ireland, p 56-57, http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Casino%20(Eng)%20for%20Web.pdf/Files/Casino%20(Eng)%20for%20Web.pdf

^xl Casinos Avenue (2017) Honiara Coral Sea Resort & Casino, https://www.casinosavenue.com/en/casino/honiara-coral-sea-resort-casino/9513

^xli Outside of casinos, LPMs (“Limited Pay-out Machines”) are available. South African Department of Trade and Industry (2015) National gambling policy: Final policy, p 78, 81-82, http://www.ngb.org.za/SiteResources/documents/2016/Approved%20%20Published%20National%20Gambling%20Policy%202016%20-

%2001%20April%202016.pdf

^xlii Slot machines are regulated at a regional and federal level. Gisbert and Serebrianskaia (2016) Gambling in Spain: Overview,

https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/9-635-1228

A complete list of slot machine licence holders is available. Directorate General for the Regulation of Gaming (n.d.) Licensed operators,

https://www.ordenacionjuego.es/en/operadores/buscar?field_got_tid=237&field_gat_tid=All&field_gct_tid=All&field_dominio=

^xliii Casino Cosmopol (n.d.) Stockholm casino games, https://www.casinocosmopol.se/en/stockholm/casino-games; Casino Cosmopol (n.d.) Goteberg, https://www.casinocosmopol.se/en/goteborg; Casino Cosmopol (n.d.) Sundsval, https://www.casinocosmopol.se/en/sundsvall; Casino Cosmopol (n.d.) Malmo, https://www.casinocosmopol.se/en/malmo

^xliv Lotteri Inspektionen (n.d.) Token machines, https://www.lotteriinspektionen.se/en/permits-and-game-types/gaming-machines/token-machines/

^xlv Those involving “a predominant element of chance” are permitted outside of casinos, cantonal law permitting. Glarner, Linder and Muller-Studer (2016) Gaming in Switzerland: Overview, https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/0-635-6150

^xlvi Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (2016) Internal control minimum procedures (ICMP), https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/04%20-

%20Slots%20February%201%202016.pdf

^xlvii The 2017 Florida Statutes, Title XXXIII Chapter 551 SLOT MACHINES, http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500- 0599/0551/0551.html ; Sweeney (2017) Florida Supreme Court rules against slot machine expansion, http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/florida-politics-blog/fl- reg-supreme-court-slot-machines-20170518-story.html

^xlviii Joyner (2015) Out of the shadows: Video gambling is back in Georgia, https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/out-the-shadows-video-gambling-back- georgia/fOaKto7g2EGarxQHDmRILI/

^xlix Indiana Gaming Commission (n.d.) Illegal gambling FAQs, s 26, https://www.in.gov/igc/files/Gaming_Control_FAQs.pdf

^l Quad-City Times (2005) Iowa brings gambling ashore, http://qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/iowa-brings-gambling-ashore/article_7c245767-7635-5b18- 9891-f386564f2e56.html

^li McArdle, Levy and Tracy (2015) For amusement only: The availability and distribution of simulated slot machines in an urban centre,

http://jgi.camh.net/index.php/jgi/article/view/3928/4059

^lii Wisely (2014) Michigan doesn’t gamble on slot machine standards, https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2014/12/23/gaming-lab/20788373/; Flory (2014) Welcome to Jackson’s newest home for imitation slot machines, http://www.mlive.com/opinion/jackson/index.ssf/2014/12/brad_flory_column_welcome_to_j.html ^liii Mississippi Gaming Commission (October 2017) Gaming Devices Report: Slots, http://www.msgamingcommission.com/files/monthly_reports/1017gdrslots.pdf

^liv Missouri Gaming Commission (September 2017) Detail Gaming Stats – Public Report,

http://www.mgc.dps.mo.gov/Casino_Gaming/rb_financials/FY18_FinReport/detail0917.pdf

^lv Center for Gaming Research (September 2017) Nevada’s Gaming Footprint, 1963-2017, http://gaming.unlv.edu/reports/nv_gaming_footprint.pdf; see also Gaming Control Board (September 2017) Gaming revenue report, http://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=12451; Gaming Control Board (2017) Restricted and nonrestricted locations report, http://www.gaming.nv.gov/index.aspx?page=299

^lvi Lovett (2014) The fight against the slot parlors around the corner, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/us/the-fight-against-the-slot-parlors-around-the-corner.html