Harsh cost of pokies

THERE are some records that you definitely do not want to see broken.

The municipality of Greater Geelong is on track to smash its previous record for pokies losses in a financial year by a whopping $6 million.

We just achieved our fifth consecutive month of record losses, with gaming commission data revealing Geelong pokie machines took more than $10 million in October.

For those who struggle with maths, that averages out to $329,000 poured into the 1300 pokie machines across Geelong each and every day of the month. A fair effort for a municipality with an estimated population of under 250,000 people.

The figures, while alarming, are unfortunately no longer surprising.

There has been much public discussion and debate about the damaging effects pokie machines can have on a community, and organisations such as the Geelong Cats have taken a very public stand of divesting their 100 machines last year.

But the demand for smaller businesses to get their hands on the lucrative cash cow remains, with local sporting clubs among the recent groups to push for machines in their organisations.

Money is a powerful drawcard and there is little doubt that pokies can provide a healthy windfall for smaller organisations. But at what cost does all this come for the broader community?

As is so often the case when dealing with issues around pokies losses, the most damaging toll is often the losses we are not able to quantify. They include the flow-on effects of gambling addiction on families, friends and employers, and the pressure on our welfare and mental health services.

All of this puts added pressure on our economy that more than offsets the benefits that machines can bring.

There is a very real cost to Geelong’s mounting pokies losses that affects us all. Even if we have never slotted a coin into a machine.