Greater Dandenong players lost over $118 million to Poker Machines last year.
That’s a loss of $954.30 to poker machines per adult – the highest level of player losses per adult in Victoria.
That’s despite Greater Dandenong’s median income of $39,845 and an unemployment rate of 10%.
The player loss to Greater Dandenong’s poker machines does include losses from people who used the poker machines but don’t live in the area, nevertheless the amount of money lost is remarkably high compared to the area’s median income, which falls in the bottom 35 per cent of the state.
This statistic has not been lost on locals; there was a fierce protest over the Dandenong RSL’s application for 11 more poker machines in June this year.
“Dandenong is experiencing great harm from the high density of poker machines in its community,” the Alliance for Gambling Reform told the Dandenong Star.
“Within a 2.5 kilometre radius of the Dandenong RSL there are 401 poker machines that take more than $42.1 million from the community every year.”
However Cr Tim Dark said poker machines are a vital source of income for local sporting and social groups according to the Dandenong Star.
Explore the visualisation below to see the venues and their player losses in Greater Dandenong and other areas.
Source: Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation
Greater Dandenong isn’t the only area with significant loses per adult: Brimbank ($840.98), Maribyrnong ($769.94), Moonee Valley ($765) and Latrobe ($763.73) finish off the top 5.
Source: Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation
However differences in player losses aren’t only related to location, but the time of year as well.
Victorians lost the most money to poker machines during December of last financial year, according to new data from the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.
Punters lost over $234 million dollars, the highest monthly total recorded since the commission began releasing monthly data.
In previous years July had been the poker machines’ strongest month, taking in at least $4 million more than the other months.
But this year December losses topped those of July which fell to third place with player losses totaling over $230 million.
While this is the first time December has topped the charts, it has always been a highly ranked month with player losses jumping by an average of $7 million from November to December for the past three years.
The most noticeable trend however is the decline in the New Year, with player losses at their lowest for their respective years during February.
Featured Image: ED GREGORY
