Punters in Port Adelaide Enfield Council spent the most on pokies for the seventh straight year
SA punters spent 25 per cent less on poker machines in the past 12 months, but one area has topped the list for the biggest pokies spenders for the seventh straight year. See which areas splurge the most.
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Punters in Port Adelaide Enfield spent the most on poker machines for the seventh straight year despite the “dire” state of the industry, new figures show.
Total revenue across the state fell by 25 per cent, from $681 million in 2018/19 to $511 million in 2019/20.
The local government areas of PAE ($54 million) Salisbury ($49.7 million) and Onkaparinga ($44.3 million) were the biggest total spenders in SA for the financial year, according to statistics from Consumer and Business Services.
Charles Sturt ($43.9 million) and Tea Tree Gully and Campbelltown ($33 million combined) followed.
Campbelltown Mayor Jill Whittaker said the council had “long recognised the harm that pokies can cause in a community”.
“(We have) a policy preventing poker machines being used in any of our council-owned facilities,” Ms Whittaker said.
Meanwhile, Australian Hotels Association SA general manager Ian Horne said a 97-day closure this year had led to “the most difficult and challenging trading period ever experienced”.
“That reduction … also represents a drop in state tax of approximately $68 million … and another drop of around $17 million in GST,” Mr Horne said.
“The ‘winners’ were clearly online, including illegal and off shore that pay no state tax, employ no South Australians and are not subject to any of the strict codes of conduct or regulatory obligations as apply to hotels and clubs.”
However, the figures do not include the closure of the Adelaide Casino.
He said hotels and clubs are currently running at a reduced capacity because of COVID-19.
“What a return to normality looks like is some time in the future and very much subject to State and Federal Government decisions and support,” he said.
He suggested a further relaxation of capacity at venues and a tax deferral of accumulated gaming tax.
“The deferral should allow for a repayment schedule that reflects the dire state of the industry,” he said.
Treasurer Rob Lucas said he understood the concerns raised by the association.
“The government is considering the submission, together with many other requests for assistance from other industry sectors,” Mr Lucas said.
THE STATE’S BIGGEST SPENDERS:
1 – Port Adelaide Enfield: $54m
2 – Salisbury: $49.7m
3 – Onkaparinga: $44.3m
4 – Charles Sturt: $43.9m
5 – TTG/Campbelltown: $33m
6 – Playford: $26.3m
7 – West Torrens: $23.1m
8 – Norwood Payneham & St Peters: $21.9m
9 – Marion: $20.1m
10 – Adelaide: $15.8