‘Desperate’ Australians dropping billions more to pokies during cost-of-living crisis, researcher warns
NSW gaming machine losses average $22m a day as some states see rises of greater than 30% on pre-Covid ranges
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Australians are losing billions of dollars more to poker machines than they have been earlier than the pandemic, with researchers attributing the sharp improve to “desperation” during a cost-of-living disaster.
In New South Wales, a median of about $22m was misplaced to poker machines each day throughout the primary six months of 2023, totalling $3.9bn over that period.
Separate analysis shows poker machine losses in some states last monetary yr were up to 34% greater than throughout 2018-19, which was the final 12-month period not affected by lockdowns that closed playing venues.
Evaluation by Monash University’s gambling and social determinants unit found NSW residents lost $8.07bn to poker machines last monetary 12 months, which was a 23% enhance on the $6.5bn recorded in 2018-19.
The rise was sharper in Queensland, the place residents misplaced $3.24bn final financial 12 months in comparison with $2.42bn in 2018-19 – an increase of more than 33%. In Victoria, losses elevated by 12% to $3bn. But in South Australia, losses jumped by 34% to $917m.
Monash College associate professor Charles Livingstone stated he wasn’t surprised playing losses had elevated throughout a cost-of-dwelling disaster because “people gamble when they are desperate”.
“Desperate people typically turn to determined measures and some people sadly think they have a chance to win something,” Livingstone mentioned.
“The extra prevailing purpose for that is individuals under stress are more likely to develop a playing habit as it relieves their stress and that’s the same motive why there are so many poker machines in areas of drawback.”
The chief govt of the charity Wesley Mission, Rev Stu Cameron, has also assessed the newest NSW information.
He said the misplaced cash ought to have “helped families weather the associated fee-of-living crisis but as an alternative has gone to propping up a dangerous and predatory industry”.
“The ache of damaged individuals and households and the harm brought about to communities behind these numbers is immense,” Cameron mentioned. “Losses of this scale underpin the urgency for wise, proportionate and efficient reform.”
Wesley Mission mentioned the variety of poker machines in NSW jumped from 86,650 to 87,298 last financial 12 months – a rise of 648 machines.
“The total variety of machines had been trending downwards from 2019, so this reversal is disturbing, notably when the current cap for poker machines in NSW is 96,000,” Cameron stated.
“This enhance is more regarding when you consider that since 2019 there are also 260 fewer venues with poker machines in NSW. This indicates there’s a growing concentration of poker machines in some local government areas.”
Sign as much as Morning Mail
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Earlier this yr, a research paper found virtually two-thirds of Sydney’s gambling losses got here from western Sydney. Academics from Western Sydney University stated playing harm was a “silent epidemic” in the area.
The newest NSW Liquor and Gaming data shows Canterbury-Bankstown stays the native government area with the very best losses on poker machines at just under $1.8m a day. Blacktown, Liverpool and Penrith additionally recorded the very best losses.
The Central Coast was the NSW region with the biggest losses on poker machines, at $150m, or roughly $5.7m a week. The world has more than 4,200 poker machines.
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