The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has indirectlyled Australians to lose billions of dollars more to pokies, with losses recorded in some states jumping by as high as 34% from pre-pandemic figures. Gambling researchers and analysts say the sharp rise comes as no surprise, with Australians now gambling more as they grapple with rising inflation.
Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
South Australia recorded the biggest increase in gambling losses in the previous financial year, with residents losing $917 million, up 34% from 2018-2019. Those in Queensland also saw their losses rise to $3.24 billion, an increase of 33% from the $2.42 billion recorded before the pandemic. New South Wales (NSW) residents lost $8.07 billion to pokie machines in the past financial year, representing a 23% jump from $6.5 billion in 2018-19.
Charles Livingstone, Associate Professor at Monash University, said Australians are leaning more towards gambling out of desperation as the cost-of-living crisis continues. People under stress are more vulnerable to harmful gambling as they see the activity as a temporary escape from life’s day-to-day challenges, he added.
Urgent Pokie Reforms Needed
The steep increase in Australians’ gambling losses has once again put the impact of pokie machines under the spotlight, with gambling reform advocates criticizing the industry for preying on vulnerable people.
In NSW in particular, there’s a higher concentration of pokies in disadvantaged areas, as observed by researchers. Rev Stu Cameron, CEO of the charity Wesley Mission, said the government must now implement sensible, effective reforms as a matter of urgency.
