Clubs Australia has said it will spend as much as needed to fight the poker machine reforms, despite recently slashing its ad spend from $20 million to $2 million.
In an interview with ABC's Four Corners, Clubs Australia executive director Anthony Ball said: "Ultimately, we will spend as much as we need to, to have this issue addressed."
This is despite claims from the organisation in May that it has cut the expected spend for its advertising campaign against poker machine reforms from $20 million to $2 million.
A Clubs Australia spokesperson told AdNews today: "We're confident we won't have to go beyond the $2 million. However, manditory precommittment is life and death for the clubs industry. It will kill the industry, so we are not going to die wondering, and we'll fight up to the last remaining dollar if we have to."
Tasmanian independent member for Denison Andrew Wilkie, who is the driving force behind reforms which might see poker machine players using smartcards that impose gambling limits set by the player, has slammed Clubs Australia.
"The pokies industry needs to start being honest with the community," he told AdNews. "First it said it would spend $20 million fighting the implementation of harm-minimisation measures. Then it was $2m and now it’s as much as [is] needed.
"If the pokies industry can't be honest then at least it should be able to get its story straight. Then again much of this money is coming from problem gamblers so no wonder they have difficulty talking about it."
Casino and media mogul James Packer has also joined the fray. In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, he has lambasted Prime Minister Julia Gillard for supporting Wilkie's reforms.
The "It's un-Australian" campaign launched on behalf of Clubs Australia and the Australian Hotels Association on 11 April, and was created by Banjo Advertising.
The campaign opposes the proposed reforms, which seek to limit problem gambling and are being pushed by the Gillard government as it looks to retain the support of Wilkie. Wilkie's support is central to Gillard's minority government.
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