I am bringing this to attention as a collector and enthusiast of gaming machines, including arcades, redemption machines, and pokies. Recently, I became the first individual prosecuted under the 1991 Gaming Machine Act for owning and selling unlicensed gaming machines and possessing restricted components. The current Act is imprecise, failing to delineate between commercial and private usage. This results in private collectors being prosecuted and technically categorises any crane machine in shopping centres as unlicensed.

This Act is in essential need of revision. It currently defines a gaming machine as a machine that either accepts a token or adjusts credits; however, it lacks specifications such as the crucial differentiation between 'pokies' or 'slot machines' and other formats of gaming machines like arcade machines. This lack of clarity results in the misclassification and, unfortunately, prosecution of hobbyists merely executing their passions.

Accommodating private usage of gaming machines within the law will not surge the gambling problem in Queensland since it's private, non-commercial use. According to the Queensland Government's Department of Justice and Attorney-General, the gambling participation rate in Queensland was 61% in 2018-19, a decrease from 64% in 2011-12. Emphasising this point, allowing private collection and use of gaming machines would be keeping the interests of gaming machine enthusiasts in mind without exacerbating the existing gambling issue.

By refining the 1991 Gaming Machine Act to allow private use of gaming machines, we can prevent the unjust prosecution of enthusiasts like myself whilst maintaining effective regulation of commercial gaming machines. Let's create a law that respects private collectors and the nuances of this field. Please sign the petition to urge the necessary parties to revise the Act to reflect the modern reality of gaming machines and their use.