The authorities of Victoria’s Whittlesea City are demanding from the pokie machine industry to introduce changes before gambling venues relaunch their services. The demand comes after a recent report came to light, revealing that Whittlesea City is one of the state leaders in terms of pokie machine losses. According to the report, the city is home to four out of ten gambling venues that top the list for pokie losses.
Pokie venues across the state of Victoria were forced to temporarily shut down their operations in April as a preventive measure against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Understandably, this caused the spendings on pokie machines to plummet. Pokie operators from the state of Victoria alone lost AU$1 billion during the lockdown period.
These tendencies also manifested themselves in Whittlesea City whose residents saved roughly AU$36 million from going into the coffers of local gaming venues. Lydia Wilson, who chairs the administrator panel of the Whittlesea City Council, expressed her satisfaction at seeing such a reduction in the pokie spendings of the locals.
Nevertheless, Whittlesea’s Chair of Administrators insisted that Victoria’s government should enforce some changes to prevent the city from returning to its previous pokie-gambling rates after the coronavirus measures are eased. Chair Wilson attributed the steep drop in pokie expenditures across Victoria to the fact the state residents were restricted from accessing their local gambling venues because of the coronavirus shutdown.
Residents Spent over AU$83 Million on Pokies between 2019 and 2020
The state government must maintain these lower gambling rates and reduce the harmful effects of pokies after casinos reopen in Victoria, Wilson stressed. Her insistence makes sense, considering Whittlesea City ranked as the 6th government area in Victoria in terms of pokie losses. Its residents collectively spent the eye-watering amount of AU$83.7 million on the machines for the twelve-month period between 2019 and 2020.
Bundoora Taverner, Plough Hotel, Epping Plaza Hotel, and Excelsior Hotel all made it to the top 10 list of venues with the largest pokie-machine losses. In these four venues alone, local gamblers have lost the staggering amount of AU$10 million for the nine-month period between July 2019 and March 2020.
Chairman Wilson referred to these tendencies as “very alarming”. It is disconcerting that the venues with the biggest gambling losses amounting to AU$30 million from 200 machines are located in the City of Whittlesea. Such massive losses only reinforce the Whittlesea City Council’s commitment to advocating for reforms within the pokie-machine industry.
Stress and Unemployment May Contribute to Gambling Harm
Chair Wilson also said that the locals are now all the more vulnerable to gambling-related harm. This is due to factors like stress and unemployment that result from the coronavirus pandemic. Whittlesea has joined forces with several other city councils across the state of Victoria in its battle for gambling reforms. The councils insist the government should order gaming venues to shut their doors to customers at midnight even after the coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
Miss Wilson also suggested that Victoria’s authorities should introduce a buyback scheme for pokie machines, similar to the one that is under way in the Australian Capital Territory. One such programme would enable pokie operators in the state of Victoria to transform their premises into family-friendly locations, Chair Wilson concluded.
- Author
Daniel Williams
