‘Get serious’: Grattan Institute finds more pokies in Australia than public toilets

If you’re busting for the bathroom in Australia, you’ve got a better chance of finding a pokie machine than a public toilet.

There are more pokie machines in suburban Australia than public toilets, ATMs or post boxes, new research has found.

The Grattan Institute study finds Australians lose three times more money than Kiwis every year on the punt, and twice as much as adults in the US.

“It’s time our politicians stood up to the powerful gambling lobby and reigned the industry in,” institute chief executive Aruna Sathanapally said.

The Grattan Institute released a report on gambling harm this week, which says gambling ads should be banned, and loss limits should be put on pokies and online betting accounts.

Grattan Institute chief executive Aruna Sathanapally is calling for caps on gambling losses. Picture: Supplied

The think tank wants daily losses capped at $100, $500 a month, and $5000-per-year.

Australia has the highest gambling losses per adult in the world, at $1635 in 2022. Hong Kong is second with $1284, and Singapore third with $1180.

“Pokies are more common in our suburbs than post boxes, ATMs, or public toilets,” the report finds.

“They are concentrated in our most disadvantaged communities. And they are particularly prevalent in NSW, which has almost as many pokies as the rest of Australia combined.”

Betting has the highest profit margin at 14.4 per cent, clubs at 4.6 per cent, and while casinos reported losses in recent years because of the pandemic and regulatory action, they previously reported profit margins of about 13 per cent. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

About half of Australia’s annual $24bn gambling losses come on pokies, a quarter is lost on betting, with lotteries, casinos and Keno taking the remainder.

The poorer an area is, the more likely the local pub is to have pokies in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, the research finds.

Only Japan and the casino mecca of Macao have more pokies per capita.

Bank data shows people in Fairfield in Sydney, and Brimbank and Dandenong in Melbourne, are over-represented among heavy spenders on lotteries, casino, racing, and betting. Almost 10 per cent of gamblers in these communities are in the national top 5 per cent of spenders. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

The federal government is looking at changes to address the saturation of gambling ads, exposure of children to gambling ads and gambling promotion during sporting matches.

Federal cabinet will reportedly consider gambling advertising reforms, which would almost immediately ban online ads, and give broadcasters two years to see out their contracts with bookmakers.

As well as the betting companies paying big for prime time ads, jersey and stadium sponsorships in the AFL and NRL, media outlets have been bemoaning the lost revenue a cut on gambling ads would cost them.

Townsville's casino, The Ville, and betting giant TAB, are major sponsors of the North Queensland Cowboys. Picture: NQ Cowboys

The Grattan Institute report finds the ads which would replace gambling spots may not be sold for quite as much, but it would not create a black hole.

“Those ad spots would not fade to black, nor be given away for free,” the report finds.

“Other advertisers would emerge. They might not be willing to pay quite as much, but the difference would be much less than the face value of the gambling advertising revenue.”

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland is responsible for steering reforms on gambling. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The research also notes broadcaster revenue did not decline when tobacco ads were banned in 1976. When tobacco sponsorships were banned 20 years later, other corporates and government agencies took those sponsor slots.

“Gambling companies and peak bodies apply pressure to our politicians through every avenue to protect their profits,” the institute says.

“Australia must get serious about preventing gambling harm.”

Originally published as ‘Get serious’: Grattan Institute finds more pokies in Australia than public toilets