The losses generated by the residents of the Australian state of Victoria on pokies continue to rise despite the fact that the poker machines’ number is being reduced. Local citizens lost approximately AU$2.7 billion on poker machines over the last fiscal year, reaching a record high in a decade, with latest figures showing that players in some of the poorest communities across the state generating the largest losses.
According to information revealed by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR), the last financial year has seen the largest annual loss on Victoria’s pokies since the fiscal 2008/2009. Currently, there are a little over 26,380 poker machines in the state. Almost all municipalities in the region registered an increase in the annual losses on poker machines.
The latest gaming expenditure data unveiled by the VCGLR showed that the largest losses on pokies, amounting to AU$139.5 million, were generated by players in the City of Brimbank in the north-west part of Melbourne. The south-eastern parts of Casey saw the second-largest pokies’ losses of AU$131.5 million, followed by Dandenong with AU$121.4 million.
In addition, the data provided by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation showed that an amount of approximately AU$80 million was lost on electronic gaming machines in central Victoria over the 2017/2018 fiscal year, with the result representing a 2% increase year-on-year compared to the AU$77.9 million lost on pokies in the 2016/2017 financial year. The losses cited, however, do not include the 2,600 poker machines in the Crown Casino. The overall amount lost by punters in the state of Victoria brought AU$1.1 billion in taxes for the local Government.
The record amount of losses has once again raised the anti-gambling campaigners’ concerns who called for industry reform, urging the State Government to stop taking advantage of the gambling revenue taxes and invest more efforts in customer protection measures.
Tim Costello Blames State Government for Losses Increase
The VCGLR also released information about the largest losses on poker machines generated by Victorian residents by venue, as well as details about the number of pokies offered by each of the gambling facilities.
The biggest losses by venue were generated by the citizens of Victoria in the Epping Plaza Hotel and amounted to AU$20.8 million. The venue currently offers a total of 100 machines. The Plough Hotel, which hosts the same number of poker machines, accounted for losses of AU$19.4 million, followed by the Berwick Springs Hotel (105 pokies) which visitors lost AU$18.9 million on the machines over the 2017/2018 fiscal year.
As mentioned above, the data about losses generated on pokies by punters in the state of Victoria has once again provoked fierce discussions about the “addiction” of the State Government to gambling revenue. The head of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Tim Costello, described the figures revealed of the regulatory body as a major “wake-up call” to the Victorian Government. Mr. Costello also shared that the increase of local players’ losses came as a result of the parliament’s decision to extend the duration of poker machines licenses.
- Author
Daniel Williams
