【Seventeen (2019)】

Poker machines are Seventeen (2019)a ubiquitous feature of pubs, bars and clubs in Australia. They're as common as the beer taps.

But a new youth-focused campaign called Proudly Pokies Free wants to challenge that.

It's helping to promote venues that don't have "pokies" by providing awareness of the benefits of ditching the machines.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: Australia is taking on revenge porn, but young people are still at risk

After all, Australians lose more money on gambling than any other nation, with each adult losing an estimated US$1,130 every year. That's largely due to the country having amongst the highest number of machines per capita in the world.

Credit: AFP/Getty Images

While the addictiveness of pokies is something that's long been noted, poker machine reform has been slow in years gone by, and even reversed, as New South Wales did in 2015.

State and territory governments raise a sizeable chunk of taxes from poker machines. Profits totalled A$3.45 billion (US$2.6 billion) in 2014-15 alone.

"I want people to start thinking more about Australia's relationship with the pokies, because it's such a dominating force and causes so much harm"

Proudly Pokies Free founder Tom Lawrence, 25, believes many people are indifferent towards pokies, and wants to encourage awareness among the youth.

Alongside his sister Anna, he recently started the campaign as a legacy from his dad's 2015 documentary, Ka-Ching: Pokie Nation.

Lawrence points to a number of Sydney pubs that don't have pokies, instead choosing to rely on other revenue streams like food and live entertainment. However, he stresses the campaign doesn't want to alienate venues that have do have gambling.

"We're not going out there and saying 'stuff pubs that have pokies' because it is so ingrained in the industry, we're not trying to put all the pressure on them," he said.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Instead, he wants to create an environment where governments can assist venues in creating options so they can reduce or end their reliance on poker machines.

"We're very open to talking to anyone who's interested from moving away from them," he said.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Encouraging young people to spurn the pokies

In an ideal world, Lawrence would like to see the pokies only available in casinos -- as they are in the state of Western Australia -- as well as reducing the deceptive features of these machines.

"But we understand that's a very long term goal," he admitted. For the time being, the campaign is primarily focused on awareness and changing the culture towards gambling.

Although Lawrence admits he doesn't have all the answers, he believes the campaign will bring the debate to a new, younger audience -- a similar audience angry about Sydney's lockout laws, a government curfew on nightlife.

It makes sense that the campaign's launch party is in a venue directly affected by the laws. Playing at the benefit is Australian hip-hop artist Joyride and Tim Freedman from The Whitlams, who penned the quintessential anti-gambling song "Blow Up The Pokies."

Harm minimisation, not prohibition, argues Clubs Australia

Clubs Australia, which represents registered clubs across Australia, is arguably the most powerful lobby for poker machines in the country.

A spokesperson told Mashable via email that many clubs choose not to operate poker machines, but those that do "offer the service in the safest possible environment for the enjoyment of adults."

The organisation also supports harm minimisation when it comes to gambling, such as self-exclusion from venues, in-venue signage and trained staff, plus the availability of chaplains and counsellors. Such measures have resulted in "some of the lowest problem gambling prevalence rates in the world," they said in a statement. "History tells us that prohibition doesn't work."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

However, Lawrence claims Australia is a unique case when it come to poker machines, and wants to prove many pubs, clubs and bars don't need them.

"Australia is such a strong outlier, no one else in the world has a similar problem. A lot of people are so used to it, especially in our age demographic, where we've never really known any different," he said.

"But when you look into the damage they cause, it seems a bit ridiculous to not question it."

Mashable contacted theAustralian Hotels Association for comment.