The City of Greater Dandenong is continuing to campaign for gambling reform.
Last month a giant billboard was unveiled highlighting the urgent need for change and calling for action in the lead up to the November Victorian State Election.
The City of Greater Dandenong has joined with 18 other Victorian councils to take its message to the streets to say ‘Enough is Enough’.
The billboard bearing the message ‘Victorian pokies losses = $3.2 billion a year. Enough!’ visited the Dandenong Civic Centre before travelling past some of the local venues that have the largest pokies losses in Victoria.
Mayor, Youhorn Chea, said residents were losing over $121 million to electronic gambling machines or ‘pokies’ each year – the highest rate of losses per adult in Victoria and equal to $333,000 per day.
He said the local impact of pokies included personal distress, family violence, poverty and homelessness.
“We urge the State Government and opposition parties to support gambling reform to ease the hardship upon vulnerable residents.
“Some of the changes we want to see introduced immediately include $1 maximum bets, the removal of deceptive features of gaming machines, fewer machines in disadvantaged communities and reduced venue operating hours,” Mayor Chea said.
