Victorian authorities warn about slot machines

Residents of the Australian State of Victoria spent AUS$2.7 billion on slot machines.

Australia.- Authorities of the Australian State of Victoria have warned about the imminent growth of the pokie machines sector after the government demanded further regulations on legal operations. The warning was published after the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) revealed the report on the last financial year.

According to VCGLR’s results, Victoria State has registered a AUS$2.7 billion loss on poker machines, as slot machines are regionally renowned. The last results show the “most loss in a decade,” as authorities named it. Local press also confirmed that suburbs with a lower median income were most at risk of massive losses, whilst advocate for reform has “pointed blame at State government for a ‘dirty deal’.”

The research reads “the losses on Victoria’s 26,384 poker machines are the most since 2008-2009,” which is also an increase of almost AUS$90 million from last year. Furthermore, the VCGLR data shows that AUS$80 million was lost on electronic gaming machines in regional Victoria in 2017-18, up nearly AUS$3 million from the previous year.

Meanwhile, an initiative to reduce the bet limit on poker machines (pokies) to AUS$1 has received renewed support, as 18 municipal councils have signed up to the Alliance for Gambling Reform for the coming financial year.