Record hit on pokies

GOLD Coast pokies have reaped the second-highest revenue in Queensland as the state’s gamblers blew a record $227 million in one month.

Punters spent an average of $7 million a day – $305,000 an hour – on gaming machines across the state in August, making it the biggest month for pokies revenue since public records began in 2004.

The Southeast has the biggest gamblers, with Brisbane punters throwing away more than $48 million in August. Gold Coast pubs and clubs raked in $31 million and the Moreton Bay region topped nearly $20 million.