OUR $1M A DAY HABIT

COAST’S POKIE PLUNGE

GOLD Coasters are pumping nearly $1 million a day into the pokies, sparking a “clearly alarming’’ rise in problem gambling on the Glitter Strip.

Statistics compiled by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation show more than $335,376,682 was poured into electronic gaming machines on the Gold Coast between February 2017 and January this year.

This is the equivalent of $638 every single minute or $38,285 an hour.

Anti-gambling advocates say this is just the tip of an iceberg, with the statistics covering the 5667 gaming machines in community clubs and pubs but excluding The Star casino.

The Star, which has 1660 poker machines, is not required to provide data to the Government and declined to comment to the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Salvation Army gambling, drug and alcohol service operations manager Gerard Byrne said the Gold Coast branch of his operation received no government funding in its work to help families affected by gambling debts.

He warned that a new young generation of gamblers was growing.

“We see families needing to access emergency relief just to meet everyday living needs and this includes things like food, paying utility bills and assistance with items such as clothing and school needs for children,” he said.

“Problem gamblers come from across the age spectrum but now there is a new breed of gambler – the younger males who generally are in a trade or who will do binge gambling around payday

“They put a significant, if not all of their wage through the machines and then have to try make ends meet until the next day.

“This feeds into things like family breakups.”

The figures, which are updated monthly, show Gold Coasters spent $27,111,071 in the pokies in January, a larger figure than Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton and Toowoomba combined.

The Gold Coast is second only to Brisbane in terms of gambling spend, with the state’s capital recording $41,816, 548 put through 8385 machines (not including machines in the Treasury casino) in January this year.

Allison Keogh, deputy chairwoman of The Alliance for Gambling Reform, said the increase in spending in poker machines was “clearly alarming” and called for action to prevent increases.

“Australia has a staggering 18 per cent of the world’s poker machines and 76 per cent of the total in pubs and clubs, something which is banned in all but 12 countries, so it is time for Gold Coast City Council to step up and develop a strong gambling policy which aims to materially reduce losses and harm at Australia’s most famous tourist strip,” she said.

A spokeswoman for Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said the State Government had a number of measures in place to help problem gamblers.

“There is a statewide cap on the total number of gaming machines that can operate in Queensland’s hotels and clubs and in fact, the number of operational machines in Queensland is currently 1795 below the cap,” she said.

“For the small percentage of people who are problem gamblers, our government contributes more than $5.5 million each year to fund problem gambling treatment and support services, along with education and awareness initiatives.”

But Relationships Australia gambling help service manager Steve Novak said there had been a growth in problem gamblers aged 25-40.

“Figures show 17 per cent of hospital admissions for suicide attempts in Queensland are linked to gambling but just 10 per cent of people with a problem ever see help, so 90 per cent of those with an issue don’t,” he said.