Worst poker machine hotspots in Victoria revealed by suburb

Victorians are losing more than $755 million as the state’s worst pokies hot spots can be revealed. Search our interactive table and see how your suburb compares.

The city of Brimbank in Melbourne’s west and Casey in the city’s outer southeast have been named as Victoria’s slot machine hotspots, with punters fleeced of more than $80 million in the first three months of the year.

The metropolitan Melbourne suburbs are home to a combined 1866 poker machines across pubs and clubs, which account for more than 12 per cent of the state’s losses, according to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.

The Borough of Queenscliffe and the City of Greater Geelong southwest of the state’s capital housed most of Victoria’s electronic gaming machines, home to almost 1375 pokies across both pubs and clubs.

Across Victoria’s 26,257 machines punters fed more than $755m into poker machines in the first three months of this year, as the Allen government contemplates a shift to cashless gaming.

Additional money was lost on casino poker machines, but this is not included in the data as casinos report revenue in a different way.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform’s Chief Advocate Tim Costello, said cashless cards were the key for state governments seeking to address the harms of gambling addiction, as it “allows you to lock in your losses before you’re in front of a hypnotising machine.”

The Victorian parliament just last month established a framework for carded play, and required all new machines to have a slower spin rate.

A trial of cashless gaming set for the coming months was postponed, however, following the NSW government’s 2024 trial which was lambasted after only 14 of the 243 participants were determined to have actively participated in the scheme.

“Minns promised a trial of the technology and turned it into a trial of whether the punters liked it … It’s like trialling plain packaging to see if smokers prefer it. It’s ridiculous,” he said.

The city of Brimbank in Melbourne’s west and Casey in the city’s outer southeast have been named as Victoria’s slot machine hotspots. Picture: Supplied

“Because Victoria’s broke, they looked at the revenue coming in from pokies and they said state coffers need it, you know if there’s reform there will be less revenue, so they postponed the trial.”

But while state governments stall on gambling reform, some venues have ripped out electronic gaming machines entirely, like Sydney’s Odd Culture hospitality group.

The outfit which now operates 5 venues across Sydney, including the Old Fitzroy Hotel and the Duke of Enmore, has a strict no pokies policy.

Odd Culture’s Entertainment and operations Manager Sabrina Medcalf, said while the decision meant a “slower burn” for revenue, it was “sustainable, ethical and therefore quite rewarding”.

“We’ve never relied on pokies ever to drive revenue … instead we’re now able to have live gigs, trivia and jazz nights, wine tastings, and theatre performances,” she said.

The Duke of Enmore pub in Sydney has removed poker machines in favour of other ways to create revenue. The pokie space if now set for live bands and entertainment. Picture: Supplied

“From the outset our philosophy has been, you know, pretty clear. Our venues are places of connection and creativity and culture.”

Facial recognition was mandated by the South Australian government in 2022 for venues with 30 or more gaming machines.

However Mr Costello described the technology as a “crock”.

“Trusting pubs and clubs with facial recognition and the data to self-exclude or intervene is like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank,” he said.

The Australian Hotels Association and Clubs Australia were contacted for comment.

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

Originally published as Worst poker machine hotspots in Victoria revealed by suburb