Coronavirus lockdown saves southeast Melbourne $195 million on poker machines

A council from one of southeast Melbourne’s gambling hotspots is pleading the State Government to make changes before slots are switched back on July 20, after estimations lockdown saved southeast gamblers millions.

More than $19.6 million was blown on poker machines at the Berwick Springs Hotel between July 2018 – June 2019. Picture Andrew Tauber

The coronavirus lockdown has saved southeast Melbourne residents from losing more than $195 million on poker machines, new data has revealed.

And a local council has urged the State Government to launch strict reforms to tackle addiction before the slots are switched back on July 20.

Kingston City Council’s plea comes as fresh figures from the Alliance for Gambling Reform estimated an average of $1.6 million was saved each day across the southeast during the 119-day closure between March 23 and July 20.

The data, obtained by the Leader, was calculated based on the amount lost on average per day times the amount of days venues were closed across Port Phillip, Glen Eira, Bayside, Kingston, Greater Dandenong, Casey, Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula.

A staggering $43 million was estimated to have been saved in Casey during lockdown, just ahead of $39 million in Greater Dandenong and $28 million in Kingston.

Kingston Mayor Georgina Oxley said the shutdown provided a boost to the local economy and called for the State Government to reduce the opening hours of venues ahead of July 20.

“We’d also like to see the removal of harmful pokies design features including losses disguised as wins, which has already occurred in Queensland and Tasmania,” Ms Oxley told the Leader.

“We’d welcome economic policies that reduce poker machine numbers and support clubs to become gambling-free, such as the recently announced ACT pokies buyback scheme or ‘sinking lid’ policies in New Zealand, which would help reduce gambling harm and support community clubs to recover.

“There is no doubt that gambling addiction is a serious and often insidious issue in Kingston … there are connections between gambling harm and mental ill health, family violence, homelessness and other important social and health issues.

“The shutdown will have aided people experiencing gambling harm to take a much-needed break from poker machines that will have helped people pay their rent or mortgage, put food on their tables, pay other bills, and perhaps even buy simple things such as a coffee or pizza.”

Between March 19-20, $140 million was blown at venues across Casey, with $124 million lost at Greater Dandenong and $90.5 million along the Mornington Peninsula.

The lowest losses were recorded in Bayside ($14.8 million) Port Phillip ($30.8 million) and Frankston ($66.1 million).

The Berwick Springs Hotel had the dubious honour of raking in the most money in the southeast during the 2018/19 financial year with $19.7 million, followed by the Keysborough Hotel ($18.1 million), Rosstown Hotel ($16.1 million) and the Dingley International ($15.6 million).

Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Rev Tim Costello said it was “absurd” that machines were allowed to operate for 20 hours a day and applauded Kingston Council for recognising the harm poker machines caused in the community.

“No level of government is closer to the devastation poker machines cause than the local council representing the people who live with pokies spread throughout their municipality,” he said.

“It’s unfair that local councils have so little say about a business operating in their community that can do so much damage to their residents.

“There is nothing positive happening in a poker machine venue past midnight … there is no food being served, no community spirit of catching up over a meal. There are simply machines deliberately designed to entrance and addict people busily draining money from them and the economy.”

“We can get a silver lining out of the coronavirus if we can see reforms happen in Victoria that will reduce gambling harm … the entire community will benefit from this.”

MORE NEWS

SNEAK PEEK AT CHARMAN RD TRANSFORMATION

MELBOURNE’S HOUSE FIRE HOT SPOTS REVEALED

THE BIGGEST DRUG DENS IN MELBOURNE’S SOUTHEAST

AVERAGE POKER MACHINE LOSSES PER DAY

● Casey $362,632

● Greater Dandenong $326,882

● Kingston $234,798

● Mornington Peninsula $228,377

● Glen Eira $203,410

● Frankston $170,557

● Port Phillip $77,881

● Bayside $37,830

ESTIMATED SAVINGS BY LGA (MARCH 23-JULY 20, 2020)

● Casey $43,153,208

● Greater Dandenong $38,898,958

● Kingston $27,940,962

● Mornington Peninsula $27,176,863

● Glen Eira $24,205,790

● Frankston $20,296,283

● Port Phillip $9,267,839

● Bayside $4,501,770

HIGHEST LOSSES BY LGA (MARCH 2019-2020)

● Casey $140,599,145

● Greater Dandenong $124,059,029

● Mornington Peninsula $90,649,520

● Kingston $89,579,165

● Glen Eira $78,374,492

● Frankston $66,172,253

● Port Phillip $30,804,714

● Bayside $14,881,910

HIGHEST LOSSES BY VENUE (JULY 2019-DECEMBER 2019)

● Berwick Springs Hotel: $10,158,433

● Keysborough Hotel: $9,370,648

● Rosstown Hotel: $9,016,092

● Dingley International Hotel: $8,507,549

● Seaford Taverner: $7,454,329

● Rosebud Hotel: $5,570,360

● Balaclava Hotel: $3,027,656

● Sandringham Hotel: $2,584,801