A NEW study on gambling has confirmed a well-known fact — pokies losses are far higher in disadvantaged areas than wealthier communities.
The academic report reveals losses are closely tied with disadvantage and proves a link between high numbers of machines in suburbs like Hoppers Crossing and higher rates of loss.
The report, Modelling Vulnerability to Gambling-Related Harm: How Disadvantage Predicts Gambling Losses, recommends tightening rules around pokies to protect vulnerable areas. Co-author Charles Livingstone, of Monash University, said residents in the poorest areas were losing an average of $849 per adult each year compared with $298 in the most advantaged areas.
Dr Livingstone said the latest study broke down losses to a more detailed level than previous studies, which tended to focus on local government areas. “This is further evidence of the need for local decisions around this.”
Councils and social services groups are calling for improvements to the regulatory system to give local government more say in decisions on the location and number of gaming machines.
As reported by the Weekly in August, Wyndham Council has fought five pokies applications at the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation in the past two years, costing ratepayers a total of $75,000.
It adopted a two-year responsible gambling strategy in July, including an action plan of local research and education programs. The strategy states Wyndham will not support future pokies applications on property owned or controlled by the council and will consider applying higher rates to venues.
VCGLR data shows Wyndham’s gamblers lost $88.5 million in 2011-12. Werribee Plaza Tavern’s 80-machine venue recorded the second-highest losses in the state ($21 million), more than $260,000 on each machine.
HealthWest project manager James Dunne said the trend of increasing losses across many western suburbs meant problem gambling was on the rise. “These people might not be defined as problem gamblers but are still likely to be experiencing many of the negative impacts of problem gambling, such as financial troubles, anxiety, stress and relationship issues.”
He said pokies losses and an over-representation of venues were being felt in poorer suburbs that could least afford them.
