Is gambling a problem for you?

Michael Kellahan explains why he won't be watching a big horse race.

If my memory serves me correctly, back in year 9 of high school I won 26 cents on the Melbourne Cup, after a 5c wager.

It was more profitable doing the ice block run to the school canteen, for a small commission. Or walking across the spillway of the school dam as a sponsored dare.

Here's a way for the government to increase happiness

It comes from Ross Gittins:

Many people may doubt whether personal happiness is a matter governments should or could get involved in. Just how would governments go about increasing national happiness?

Well, one good way is to reduce egregious instances of unhappiness. And I'm pleased to see that the Productivity Commission, which you might have thought of as a leading advocate of economic growth as the cure to all ills, agrees with me - at least in relation to one great source of unhappiness: gambling.

According to the commission's draft report, Australians spend - that's to say, lose - about $18 billion a year on gambling. This is about as much as we spend on alcohol and represents about 3 per cent of consumer spending.

Yep; the suggestion is to reduce gambling. Excellent idea!

Peter Holmes a Court on pokies

In today's SMH, Peter Holmes a Court talks about why he and Russell Crowe want to get rid of the pokies at South Sydney Leagues Club. And here's Tim Costello's opinion piece in the same paper.

I've written a letter to the SMH about it.