$118 a minute on Mackay's pokies

GAMBLERS blew $1.98 a second on Mackay poker machines last year.

GAMBLERS blew $1.98 a second on Mackay poker machines last year.

That’s $118.57 a minute, $7114.25 an hour, $170,741.99 a day, $1.198 million a week, $5.193 million a month – or a whopping $62.32 million for the entire year. It is also $1.46 million more than what was gambled away in 2009.

The statistics are shocking, says Anglicare Anglicare regional director John Langford, who deals with problem gamblers on a daily basis and puts their addiction in the same category as problem drinking.

“Gambling and drinking are classic examples of what people do,” he said. “They are escapisms. They destroy relationships, families and, above all, their individual selves.”

Mr Langford said poker machine addiction had become “endemic” in Mackay as many people lived beyond their means to keep up with others.

“One of the serious things is that people want to keep up with the Joneses,” he said. “They see people with lots of income and they feel resentful.

“People often get sucked in (to playing poker machines). It’s only when they’re in too deep that they seek help.”

Mr Langford said most of the time, it was only when people came in for counselling for other issues that their poker machine addiction surfaced.

“It’s often part of a constellation of problems.”

Mr Langford said problem gamblers sought help from the Anglicare Mackay branch on a daily basis, but this was just the tip of the iceberg. Many, he said, only sought help when they had to get themselves out of a deep hole.

Regional Social Development Centre manager Deb Rae said problem gambling affected not only the gambler but also their families, friends and colleagues.

“The impacts can be financial, social and emotional. For example, the family now can’t afford to replace a broken washing machine, or the gambler is stressed and lacks concentration at work,” she said.

“While the average income in the Mackay region has increased in recent years, research indicates that gambling problems are directly linked to accessibility of gambling opportunities.”

There are 1592 operational electric gambling machines in Mackay, compared to 1428 in January 2009.

Originally published as $118 a minute on Mackay's pokies