Victorian gamblers set to spend $2.7b at pokies

VICTORIAN punters are on track to record their biggest annual pokies losses in a decade, with an estimated $2.7 billion fed into machines.

VICTORIAN punters are on track to record their biggest annual pokies losses in a decade, with an estimated $2.7 billion fed into machines.

Full results for 2017-18 are due to be released at the end of the week, but a coalition of gambling critics and council mayors will descend on State Parliament on Tuesday to demand legislative changes to stem the bleeding.

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Victorian punters are on track to record their biggest annual pokies losses in a decade. Picture: File.

Alliance for Gambling Reform spokesman Tim Costello said hours of play at venues should be restricted, including breaks of at least six hours between 2am and 8am in pubs and clubs.

He said a reduction in overall pokie numbers should be introduced, plus tighter limits on how much punters can lose from each spin.

“Councils such as Moreland, Darebin, Whittlesea, Yarra and Wyndham are at the coalface of gambling harm and I sincerely welcome the commitment of their mayors to the cause of fixing this blight on Australian society,” he said.

Moreland mayor John Kavanagh said “enough is enough”.

He added: “This is a crisis and we are here to make sure reducing poker- machine harm is a crucial state election issue.”

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