Data reveals Tasmania’s pokies hot spots and where the most money is lost

Tasmanians are losing more than $300,000 a day as the state’s worst pokies hot spots can be revealed. Search our interactive table and see how your suburb compares.

Melanie BurgessData journalist

@melanieburgess

2 min read

October 3, 2022 - 11:45AM

News Corp Australia Network

Tasmania

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More than $108 million was lost on poker machines in Tasmania’s hotels and clubs last financial year – an average of almost $300,000 a day.

While Glenorchy recorded the largest loss of any single local government area, Tasmania’s slots hot spot was the West Coast LGA, with a gaming machine for every 61 residents.

Department of Treasury and Finance data revealed Tasmanian hotels and clubs recorded net gambling revenue – money played minus prizes won – of $108,632,080 through electronic gaming machines in the year to June 30, 2022.

This was up on $104.3 million in 2018-19, pre-pandemic.

About an extra $69.5 million was made – that is, lost by players – on machines at Tasmania’s two casinos, however the department does not provide this data at a local level to protect commercially sensitive information.

More than $108 million was lost on poker machines in Tasmania’s hotels and clubs last financial year – an average of almost $300,000 a day.

The largest poker machine losses across hotels and clubs were in the LGAs of Glenorchy ($19.6 million last financial year), Launceston ($16.8 million) and Devonport ($10.6 million).

Meanwhile, the West Coast LGA had the highest concentration of hotel and club pokie machines, with a population of 4263 accessing 70 machines – roughly one for every 61 people.

It was followed by Devonport (one machine for every 114 people) and Waratah-Wynyard (one for every 130).

University of Sydney Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic director Sally Gainsbury said people continued to gamble during tough financial periods such as high inflation even though it seemed counterintuitive.

“Gambling is very accessible and the idea of a jackpot can be increasingly alluring to people in situations of financial distress,” the psychology professor said.

“(Another big reason people are gambling now) is that the mental health consequences that are coming out of Covid are very acute and we know that there is a very high correlation between mental health comorbidity and gambling problems – that when you’re experiencing anxiety or distress and other mental health issues, gambling is often a maladaptive coping mechanism.”

Professor Sally Gainsbury, The University of Sydney. Picture: Supplied

Professor Gainsbury said industry needed to take more responsibility for minimising gambling harm.

“Particularly where there are gaming machines, they needs to be dedicated staff, not just to make sure those rooms are clean, but to have conversations and check on customers,” she said.

“Venues should also be recording any instances there are of observable signs of gambling problems.”

Signs may include spending more than three hours gambling in a day, emotional outbursts, or comments such as “I really needed that win today”.

Professor Sainsbury supported the use of facial recognition technology that identified problem gamblers as they entered a gaming area.

In SA, venues authorised to operate 30 or more gaming machines must have approved facial recognition technology installed to identify barred patrons.

Similar solutions have been proposed in other states and territories.

Anybody negatively affected by gambling can contact Gambler’s Help for free and confidential online, phone and face-to-face services. Call 1800 858 858 (24/7) or visit gamblershelp.com.au

TOP 10 LOSING LGAs

Money lost on hotel and club poker machines in the year to June 2022.

(Excludes municipalities with fewer than three gaming venues)

Glenorchy: $19,612,882

Launceston: $16,769,180

Devonport: $10,614,001

Clarence: $9,433,065

Burnie: $7,021,901

Central Coast: $7,021,310

Waratah-Wynyard: $5,289,606

Hobart: $3,677,332

Sorell: $3,040,665