Melbourne Is Bleeding From Problem Gambling
The city of Melbourne has the worst gambling problems in the state of Victoria, according to a report. The Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC) conducted a report that was titled Gambling in Suburban Australia.
According to the findings of the report, the poorest suburbs are suffering more from gambling as per the times and money spent on pokie machines. A larger part of Victoria was sampled in the study, but the coastal city of Melbourne is hit hard as the average money spend on pokies is well over $1358 per adult.
Details on Australian Gambling Sector
The Braybrook and Albion suburbs are leading the city’s personal pokie losses. On the positive, the eastern suburb of Box Hill has been found to do better with only $400 spends per person. This is despite the area having fewer pokie machines compared to its western counterparts.
The centre director, Anne Hollonds said the high losses in the western lying areas of the city were not unexpected, although this is the first time a study was conducted. She added that although the two sites have roughly the same population and are almost the same distance from the city, the western families were more into betting than the east.
Gambling revenue at a high in the state of Victoria
Over 50% of the people who responded to the study use online betting rather than visit the land-based casinos in the area. The government of Victoria is now planning to focus fully on the land-based casinos. It is believed that the Victoria government will want to hold onto its $1.6 billion tax revenue from the gambling houses despite the after effects being felt by the citizens.
The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) reported that in 2015, the citizens of the state spent $6 billion on pokie machines and gambling in general. Out of that disturbing figure, $2 billion was spent at the Crown Casino, based in Melbourne while $2.6 billion was spread between clubs and hotels all of the state.
Anne Hollonds admitted that with many pubs and clubs reaping huge profits from the pokie machines, she doesn’t see an end to this kind of gambling reports in the state. A Coach & Horses pub put in an application for an additional 10 pokie machines to add to the 780 it already has.
