Steve Fielding, parliamentary leader of Australia's Family First Party, intends to introduce legislation to more tightly restrict the use of pokie machines.
Under Fielding's plan, players would only be able to pay with credit on a smartcard, and they would not be able to bet more than $1,000 every two weeks. There would also be a five-second pause between spins. Free spins and multiple line betting would be banned.
"There is evidence that the harm of poker machines can be greatly reduced," Fielding told the Herald Sun. "That's why Family First is taking action to put common sense limits on how poker machines operate."