The devices also aim to lure tech-savvy young players to the game, which is fighting for survival in the gambling market.An overhaul of bingo is planned in Victoria, with the Bracks Government reviewing the rules governing how it is played.
Hand-held electronic tickets, removal of prize money limits and permission to install poker machines are among the industry's demands to expand its gross annual revenue by 250 per cent.
The bingo industry wants the ban on "paperless" bingo tickets removed so it can roll out hand-held devices that let punters buy and download unlimited tickets in any one game.
In a submission to the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation review, paperless ticket supplier BSG Australia boasts that its Programmable Electronic Ticket is popular because it is simple to use.
"The PET hand-held unit is a lot easier to play for beginners, people who are sight-challenged, arthritis suffers, mentally disabled people and other people with disabilities," it says.
BSG says the device's unlimited download feature lets punters play "a lot more games than they currently can due to physical restrictions".
They say it promotes responsible gaming by recording data on use.
The device is used overseas and in other states including Queensland where ticket downloads are limited to 48 a game.
Industry figures say poker machines are killing the game, with operators tipping more cash into prize pools to keep bored punters from straying.
That means there is less cash left over for charity.
"Players have won more at the expense of the charities and that's a concern to us," said gaming commissioner Peter Cohen.
After-prize takings from bingo games are divided between charity and bingo operators.
Victoria's 22 bingo operators raked in $88 million last year, with $71 million paid out as prizes and $5 million given to charity.
No comments:
Post a Comment