The former Papua New Guinea treasurer, Bart Philemon, says parliament's move to pass the new gaming bill allowing casinos and internet gambling to operate in the country has been ill timed.
He says the country has major gambling problems and social ills since parliament allowed pokie machines into the country back in 1993.
"Well I am not one for gambling at all in Papua New Guinea and I think we have a more challenging agenda to pursue at this stage of our development than to get our people waste their money on useless spending such as at casinos, pokie machines and so forth."
Mr Philemon says people should show opposition to the new gaming law in how they vote at next month's election.
