I do accept that it is a complicated issue, and realise also my own attitude towards poker machines is that of a reasonably-sophisticated gamer who could never

I do accept that it is a complicated issue, and realise also my own attitude towards poker machines is that of a reasonably-sophisticated gamer who could never see the point in playing such 'games'. I also, perhaps fortunately, have a friend who works for a company that tests poker machine motherboards to make sure the results are 'as expected' and that they payout as per local legislation. His explanation of the statistics and 'under the hood' mechanics of how the machines work were quite eye-opening to me, and meant that the chance of me playing these machines dropped from 'maybe one day' to 'never'. I would reason that, same as for alcohol and other drugs, there should be more money directed from profits towards support for addicts. I realise it's not a good idea, in general, to be overly paternalistic in general; my statement was made more from a personal point of view in terms of what work I would or would not be involved in.