Ballarat’s love affair with the pokies has continued over the past financial year with residents and visitors again tipping more than $54 million into the slots.
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Zagames in Golden Point again topped the list for gaming spend across the city, with gamblers tipping more than $11 million into the hotel’s 105 machines, the maximum amount allowed in Victoria.
The Ballarat North Sports Club reaped the second largest pokies earning across the financial year, with $5,671,953 being injected into the establishment’s 70 machines.
The significant spend equates to each adult in the municipality spending more than $700 on poker machines a year, more than $100 on top of the average for Geelong and Bendigo.
Salvation Army captain Craig Wood said the figure was unlikely to drop dramatically unless the number of poker machines throughout the City of Ballarat decreased.
The Salvos are one of a number of groups which form the Ballarat Action on Gambling Harm group.
“We see constantly the effect this is having and no amount of financial or other counselling will stop the addictive nature of pokies,” Mr Wood said. “The industry is very powerful and it’s been very difficult to find a foothold in any level of government to make strong reforms in that area.”
We see constantly the effect this is having and no amount of financial or other counselling will stop the addictive nature of pokies.
- Craig Wood - Salvation Army captain
State government legislation passed earlier this year continued Ballarat’s cap of 663 machines across the shire.
It also limited the amount which can be withdrawn from EFTPOS at a venue to $500 a day, while cashing cheques at gaming venues was banned.
“(Gaming) generates good income for hotels and clubs and provides taxes the government relies upon and as long as its fulfilling that need change is going to be hard to force,” Mr Wood said.
