Gold Coast gambling: Pokies losses cracking a record $30 million
POKER machines on the Gold Coast have finally cracked the dreaded $30 million a month barrier raising concerns over gambling addiction
Sun Community
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THE Gold Coast has cracked the dreaded $30 million in monthly losses on poker machines in the region.
According to state government statistics punters on the Glitter Strip lost 30.59 million on gaming machines in July and $30.8 million in August.
Major David Rogerson, head of the Salvation Army’s Gold Coast Recovery Services has described the amount as astonishing.
“We cover gambling issues at our centres with people referred to us privately or through doctors services,” he said.
“It’s a very subtle addiction in that most forms of gambling are totally legal and it’s one of those unseen things where only the regulars at clubs would see the same person sitting at the same machine day after day with nothing being said about it.
“It’s not like they are regularly falling over or ending up in hospital.”
Maj Rogerson said society should be more worried about the figures.
“That’s a lot of money being pulled out of people’s wallets,” he said.
“It can’t be just high flyers so you would think it would be impacting on household budgets that sort of money.”
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