POKIE reform MP Andrew Wilkie has brushed aside doubts about the government's commitment to tackle problem gambling, saying reforms will materialise.
Before a meeting late yesterday with Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Hobart, Mr Wilkie rejected claims by his ''very good mate'', Senator Nick Xenophon, that the government was going to double-cross him on pokie reform.
Afterwards Mr Wilkie refused to give details of the talks, but insisted progress was being made towards his May deadline to put in place measures aimed at limiting what gamblers could bet and lose.
''It was a very productive meeting. There was a real spirit of goodwill,'' he said.
Of Senator Xenophon's claims, he said: ''In fairness to him, he hasn't been involved in all of the detailed work over the last year and a half, whereas I have been. So I think I'm in a better position to talk about where we're going, and I have a much more optimistic view of where we're going.
''It is very good news that the Prime Minister is now getting her hands dirty and is getting involved in poker machine reform.''
Senator Xenophon, the anti-pokies crusader from South Australia, told The Age last week that the government could torpedo gambling reform by pursuing only measures whereby gamblers would have to state up front how much they were prepared to lose, known as ''mandatory pre-commitment''.
Yesterday, he strengthened his claims, saying the government was deliberately trying to sabotage the politically risky reforms. The government is understood not to have the numbers in the lower house to push through mandatory pre-commitment, with key independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott wary of that approach.
''Andrew has my support and admiration because he has really stuck his neck out on this, but I don't just don't want him being double-crossed at the last minute and that's what I feel will happen,'' Senator Xenophon said. ''I hope my fears are unfounded but so far I can't see that they've got numbers to get mandatory commitment.''
Both Mr Windsor and Mr Oakeshott have indicated they are more open to the alternative measure of limiting pokie bets to $1, which the Greens also support.
Senator Xenophon said: ''The government knows full well that a $1 bet option would have a much better chance. More than 80 per cent of poker machine gamblers overall don't bet more than $1 a spin. The impact it will have on recreational gamblers would be virtually non-existent.''
Mr Wilkie said the proposal for mandatory pre-commitment on high-volume machines remained on course, although the government had no appetite for $1 maximum bet limits.
He said several opposition MPs had expressed support for his reforms and it would take only one member of ''good heart'' to cross the floor get the reforms through.
''The point I want to make unambiguously is that I'm confident the numbers are there. So I'm confident the reforms will be realised,'' he said.
A spokeswoman for Ms Gillard said the Prime Minister and Mr Wilkie were ''continuing to work through the details''.
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