With an average of $662 lost to pokies per person in Hobsons Bay each year, Council is taking action on problem gambling.
At a recent Council Meeting, Hobsons Bay City Council endorsed the draft Problem Gambling on Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) Policy Statement, which is now open for public comment.
Mayor of Hobsons Bay Councillor Colleen Gates said that it was important that council continues to take action to reduce the harms of problem gambling, especially within vulnerable communities.
“Victoria’s pokies are concentrated in areas of social and economic disadvantage.
“These are the communities that can least afford to lose money.”
“In Hobsons Bay, each adult spends on average $662 per year on pokies and there are an average of 8.4 pokies machines per 1000 people.
“Compare this to the community of Boroondara including suburbs such as Balwyn, Camberwell and Hawthorn, where only $140 is spent per person per year and there are only 1.5 pokies per 1000 people.
“In Hobsons Bay, the losses at three out of the municipality’s 10 venues – Millers Inn, the Laverton Club and the Seagulls Nest – two of which are in very vulnerable communities, represent 57 percent of the total losses in Hobsons Bay.”
Councilor Sandra Wilson, who is also the Victorian Local Government Association (VLGA) Chair for Local Government Working Group on Gambling, said that gambling is a significant public health concern that causes financial distress, depression, self-harm and anxiety.
“The facts speak for themselves.
“In 2013-14, Victorians spent $2.5 billion dollars on EGMs.
“Of this, $47.2 million was lost in Hobsons Bay venues, ranking Hobsons Bay 25th out of the 79 municipalities in Victoria in terms of high losses.
“This equates to more than $129,000 lost daily on EGMs in Hobsons Bay.”
To develop the draft Problem Gambling on Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) Policy Statement, Council consulted widely with the community.
“Our research told us that approximately five percent of our residents have experienced a problem with gambling and around five percent said that someone in their household had experienced a gambling problem,” said Councillor Wilson.
“We know that each problem gambler impacts on between five and ten other people – this includes partners, children, parents, siblings, employers, workmates and the wider community.”
The draft Problem Gambling on Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) Policy Statement commits to reviewing the locations where EGMs are prohibited, incorporating conditions in current leases on Council-owned venues with EGMs to cap the number of EGMs that are allowed and advocating for a review of the Community Benefit fund to ensure funds are spent on community needs.
The draft Problem Gambling on Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) Policy Statement is open for public comment until June 10.
