AN almost $8 million drop in annual pokies expenditure is far from a positive result, according to Brimbank council.
New Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) figures reveal expenditure in Brimbank was $137.63 million last financial year, down from $145.61 million in 2011-12.
The council’s community well-being director, Neil Whiteside, said the decline was not cause for celebration.
“While Brimbank has experienced a decrease in net electronic gaming machine [EGM] expenditure this financial year this is not at all a positive result considering Brimbank continues to record the highest level of annual losses in Victoria,” he said.
The fall in pokies revenue followed a state government ban on ATMs at gaming venues last July. “Over the past decade the amount spent on the pokies per head of population has dropped and the ban on ATMs may have been a contributing factor to decreased losses,” Mr Whiteside said.
“Anecdotal evidence indicates that gaming behaviours have changed to now include online gaming.
‘‘Monthly figures of net EGM expenditure from the VCGLR website since the introduction of bans on ATMs in gaming venues has fluctuated slightly, increasing some months and decreasing others.”
As reported by the Weekly, Monash University’s Charles Livingstone said the decline in gaming revenue showed incremental reforms could reduce harm. ‘‘There is plenty of improvement still to come before we can be relaxed about the amount of harm being inflicted on Brimbank by poker machine gambling,” Dr Livingstone said
