Xenophon targets Qld iPhone gambling app
AAP
Senator Nick Xenophon has a Queensland games manufacturer on his hit list for making iPhone gambling applications that can be downloaded by children.
Cairns-based Pokie Magic designs iPhone applications based on poker machines played in pubs and clubs in Australia with 20 lines, free spin features and double-up options, which are available for children to download for free.
The applications are sold by US-based Big Fish Games with a recommended 12+ rating.
Senator Xenophon told AAP he deplored children being conditioned to play poker machines without the realisation they can lose and that their lives can be destroyed.
He said he would move to ban any Australian business making, distributing or profiting from the sale of gambling applications to Australian children.
“If they are an Australian corporation, then we can legislate to stop this,” Senator Xenophon told AAP.
“The odds of winning on an iPhone application are not the same as those in reality.
“Children will play these applications thinking they cannot lose when in reality you cannot win.
“We need an overhaul of our laws because the technological world has moved so quickly our laws are out of date and we need a national approach to this.”
Big Fish Games director Katie Brinks told AAP the company merely on-sold the application on behalf of Pokie Magic.
“We are not the developer of this game; we are merely a distributor of the online version,” she told AAP.
“If you look at the applications on the iTunes store, you’ll see that it is created and sold by Pokie Magic on iTunes.
“The guidelines they’ve provided there with regard to the age group are their own.
“I will be contacting Senator Xenophon to clarify this as well.”
A spokesperson from Queensland’s Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulations said the state already possessed some of the strongest gaming regulations in Australia.
“However, parents are encouraged to be vigilant with their children’s access to mobile phone applications,” the spokesperson said.
“As with any technology the best form of regulation for children is parental supervision.”
The spokesperson was unaware if any financial grants have been provided to Pokie Magic.
Pokie Magic was contacted on Friday for comment but did not respond.
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