Losses on pokies in Australia prompt locals to call for more regulations

Australians continued to gamble with zeal during the 2021-2022 financial year, reports The Age citing data by the Gambling and Social Determinants Unit at Monash University. Losses across different states reached AU$11.4bn. This amount remained significant despite lockdown restrictions and additional isolation measures that saw overall losses decline by 17% in places such as Victoria and New South Wales.

Nevertheless, losses climbed elsewhere and particularly South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania. An average Victorian gambler lost as much as AU$2,800. The news prompted criticism from Alliance for Gambling Reform advocate Tim Costello, a known proponent of more regulation for the industry that puts consumer well-being and protection first.

The man is now looking for support to help establish what he describes as a national gambling harm regulator. This potential watchdog would have to deal with the consequences of poker machine addiction in Australia across the board, including its financial, social, and health consequences. There is momentum for new regulators in Australia, with Crown Resorts and Star Entertainment facing blistering probes into alleged lack of responsible gambling and money-laundering practices.

Meanwhile, a new regulator has already been established in Victoria with Victoria’s new gaming watchdog, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission tasked with ensuring that all venues in the state are operating up to the designated regulatory standards.

The losses were incurred, Costello said, despite the increase in the cost of living. Costello argued that stress and financial challenges did not dissuade players from continuing to gamble. In a way, consumers rationalized what they did, Costello explained, by either arguing that they got some sort of relief playing, or that they didn’t have money in the first place, so it couldn’t get much worse.

Victorians lost a total of AU2.2bn, the Monash analysis indicated. Nine of the ten areas with the biggest losses were in New South Wales. The average loss there amounted to AU$4,525 per consumer. This revelation was rather surprising to the head of the Gambling and Social Determinants Unit, Charles Livingstone, who said that for whatever reason, people were returning to gambling.

Whether a new problem gambling regulator may be established is another matter altogether. Victoria and New South Wales could be good places to start. Another thing to consider is whether the regulator should operate federally or locally. Most states take care of their own gambling through local laws and do not meddle in each other’s jurisdictions. As Australians continue to be one of the world’s biggest gamblinglosers, it may be time to address the consequences thereof a little more seriously.

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