Last Monday in Parliament we started debating amendments to the Lotteries and Other Games Act. This debate became necessary and rather urgent in view of the prevailing situation in this industry where a number of gambling outlets were operating without any licence or control whatsoever.

As many must have read by now, the reason why so many of these outlets mushroomed in such a short time is that there was a legal loophole which made it possible for some to install gaming machines under the guise of ‘innocent’ amusement machines people play on just for fun.

It is certainly no fun for the families of compulsive gamblers who see their loved ones fall into such a pit, losing control of all their senses and ending up with nothing at the end of the day. And those who run these shops know exactly what a compulsive gambler would do - play on hoping to hit the jackpot. That is why most of these ‘amusement’ machines were programmed in such a way as to give out just a fraction of what was gambled.

Decent citizens were worried that the opening of so many outlets in the heart of our villages was bound to ruin so many families. And I am sure they did. The amendments under discussion will ensure that no gambling outlets will be allowed to open in the vicinity of schools, churches and youth centres. No gambling machines will be allowed in band clubs, football clubs and such premises.

Once the law is approved by Parliaments, no gambling machine will be allowed in premises where alcohol is sold. It is a known fact that the consumption of excessive alcohol makes a person take irrational decisions. A compulsive gambler would probably fall in such a trap.

Government has decided to impose hefty license fees and tighter controls on such outlets. Such controls are already being applied on casinos and bingo halls. One hopes that the Lotteries and Gaming Authority is given the necessary resources to ensure that the new regulations are observed because otherwise we would just be wasting our time apart from wasting so many lives. We cannot afford to take this step to later realize that this Authority cannot enforce the regulations, however tight they are.

A crucial decision that needs to be taken is whether these machines can be centrally –controlled or whether other audit systems would have to be resorted to. I hope that we do our utmost, and not just rely on what experts say, to take decisions which benefit our society.

As Minister Tonio Fenech promised in parliament, Malta will not become one big casino. I cannot but agree with such a statement. I would go one step further. Let’s revisit our whole attitude towards gambling in general.

Let’s start off by putting a lower ceiling to the Super 5 lottery. It is common knowledge that whenever such prizes escalate to high levels, say over a million euro, families of compulsive gamblers have to make do with eating less food, and going by a shoe-string budget for a whole month, because the gambler would rather ‘invest’ the money on lottery tickets. Since this is most often a vicious circle other criminal activity may also be tied to such gambling. It is a known fact that victims of usury end up pinning their hopes to a fantastic jackpot in state lotteries, at gambling outlet or casinos.

Now we need to take the bull by the horns and put a stop to such craziness. Controlling the proliferation of the gambling outlets and ‘amusement’ machines is the first step. Let’s pluck up courage to do more and go whole hog.

charlo.bonnici@gov.mt