A Closer look at where Victorians Lose the Most Money Playing Pokies

The latest report from the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation has revealed that gamblers in the region lost a staggering $2.57 billion playing the pokies in the last fiscal year (2014-15). That figure represents a 2.7% increase in losses compared to data collected in the previous fiscal year.

Notably, some areas are spending—and subsequently losing—a lot more money on poker machines than others. A map of pokies losses throughout Victoria was provided by The Guardian that presents a great deal of valuable information for those who enjoy spinning the reels.

We’ll take a look at the areas where the least and greatest losses have been suffered in the last year.

Worst Losses – $613.60+/Person Playing Pokies

In the greater scheme of things, the highest level of losses were incurred in a marginally small area of Victoria, but are all located in the heart of Melbourne. The following neighborhoods experienced the most financial damage from playing poker machines, categorized by expenditure of $613.60 or more per person.

Least Losses – $0-$153.40/Person Playing Pokies

The following regions of Victoria incurred the least amount of losses, ranging anywhere from $0 to $153.40 per person.

Notable Variables in Melbourne

Having observed that all of the highest-loss areas are derived from neighborhoods in Melbourne, it’s worth taking a closer look at the areas of Boroondara and Nillumbik. These are the only two locations in Melbourne that came in on the low-end of the scale.

Reports stemming from the 2013-14 fiscal year indicated a dramatic difference between poker machines in Boroonda, and those in the worst ranking area for losses, Greater Dandenong. According to statistics, Greater Dandenong had approximately 8.4 pokies for every 1,000 residents, whereas Boroondara was home to just 1.5 pokies per 1,000.

The chart below indicates a much higher rate of losses, nearly 6x the amount, in Greater Dandenong, and over 7x the amount of losses per person in last year’s report compared to Boroondara.

Interestingly enough, Greater Dandenong has seen an increase in total expenditures year over year, rising 5.87% from $110,134,643 to $117,004,770, yet experienced save snapchat stories a substantial decrease in the amount lost per person, dropping 22% from $984 to $767.10.

The results in Boroondara are similar, where year over year results saw a 7.36% increase in total expenditure, rising from $19,414,919 to $20,957,038, but a 14.26% drop in losses per person, falling from $140 to $119.90.

In Nillumbik Shire, this week’s city council meeting determined that additional pokies should not be installed at area pubs, as requested by some local business owners.

“We recently consulted with the community about gaming machines, pokies in particular, to help us formulate our future policy on poker machines,” said Mayor Helen Coleman. “We found that the general view was that the machines had a negative impact on the community, and there was no support or demand for more.”