A WERRIBEE pub is on track to notch up another year of being ranked among the highest-earning pokie venues in Victoria.
Wyndham punters have poured almost $11million into pokies at the Werribee Plaza Tavern in the six months to December last year, according to the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.
In the 2010-11 financial year, the Watton Street venue raked in $20.6million, behind only the $21million spent at Epping Plaza Tavern.
A total of $20.2million was spent at the Plough Hotel in Footscray.
With more than $46million spent on pokies across the municipality in the six months to December, projected losses for the full financial year could eclipse the $85.9million lost last financial year.
But David Curry, spokesman for Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group, the owner of Werribee Plaza Tavern, pointed to the company’s award-winning responsible service of gaming policy.
“We have in place some very unique responsible gaming initiatives, including a responsible gaming staff DVD, and a pocket guide for all our staff detailing the self-exclusion program and highlighting key gamblers’ help phone numbers,” he said.
Mr Curry said the company aimed to ensure its hotels provided a safe and supportive environment with access to timely assistance so customers could make informed decisions about gambling habits.
Monash University gambling expert Dr Charles Livingstone said the impact of the losses was even worse than it may first appear.
“The Productivity Commission estimates that 40per cent of pokie losses come from people with a serious gambling problem, and another 20per cent from those with a less serious but nonetheless well-developed problem,” he said.
“Given the extra pressures on people in disadvantaged areas, there’s every reason to think that gambling causes far more serious and long-lasting problems among disadvantaged people than in more affluent communities.”
Dr Livingstone slammed the state government for backing down on its promise to introduce a voluntary pre-commitment scheme for problem gamblers.
He said the government hid behind the federal government’s backdown and buckled to pressure from “a rampant and powerful gambling lobby” to keep its revenue stream intact.
