The Alliance for Gambling Reform, an Australian movement aimed at reducing gambling-related harm, revealed yesterday that the losses on notorious poker machines reached a record high of AU$246.2 million in August 2018. The figure represented a 5.3% increase compared to the losses on pokies generated by the state’s residents in August 2017, with what was called a “disturbing trend” keeping its pace following the Victorian Parliament’s 2017 decision to greenlight poker licenses for new 20 years.
The new statistics were rolled out at the beginning of the week by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR). The figures presented show that the state of Victoria has headed for record losses on poker machines in 2018 with numeric change in losses over the first eight months of the year amounting to AU$93.4 million.
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— VCGLR (@VCGLR) September 30, 2018
According to data provided by the VCGLR, the AU$246.2-million losses turned August 2018 into the second worst monthly loss ever in a decade. The result has been beaten only by the AU$250-million loss generated in December 2008 after gambling payments were boosted by the cash stimulus payments during the global financial crisis.
The monthly data rolled out by the state’s gambling regulatory body showed that local citizens lost a record of AU$1.808 billion as of August 31st. According to preliminary projections, that figure is very likely to increase even more by the end of the calendar year should the current trend continue.
Losses on Pokies in Victoria Rise Thanks to 2017 Legislation
Tim Costello, director and spokesman of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, explained that the deteriorating losses on controversial poker machines highlighted the need for all politicians to become more committed to reduce the record levels of gambling-related harm reported in the state of Victoria.
As mentioned above, losses on poker machines in Victoria rose by 5.3% in August in comparison to the figures reported for the same month a year ago. The losses generated for the current year to date have increased by 5.4% from AU$1.715 billion in 2018 to AU$1.808 billion.
“It is not too late for either political party to commit to reforms such as AU$1 maximum bets, reduced operating hours and less addictive machine design.” – Tim Costello, Director of Alliance for Gambling Reform
As The Alliance shared in a media statement released in September, the residents of Victoria suffered the largest increase in their losses on poker machines for a decade in the period from 2017 to 2018 as a result of the legislation passed by the Government in November 2017. The Alliance also provided more information about the places in Victoria which suffered the largest losses increase.
The city of Geelong saw an almost 10% increase in losses on pokies in August 2018 alone, accounting for a second highest monthly losses in a decade, a total of AU$10.98 million. Brimbank’s residents also generated a major increase in losses, jumping to AU$13.3 million in August 2018 – a figure which represented an 8.4% increase compared to the losses seen a year earlier. The city of Casey suffered the largest nominal increase in losses on the machines, which rose by 10.3% to a record AU$12.64 million from the ones generated in August 2017. Last but not least, there was Melbourne, which citizens’ losses rose to a record AU$8,012 million in August 2018, with Crown Melbourne results excluded. The casino venue saw a total of AU$350 million lost on pokies in 2017-2018.
- Author
Daniel Williams
