POKIES players in the City of Casey lost more than $11 million in August.
And the 12 gaming venues across the municipality raked in just under $117.3 million during the last financial year.
The figure was more than $6 million more than the previous year.
The latest statistics, obtained from the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation (VCGR), have opposition MP Gordon Rich-Phillips concerned and calling for more to be done to help gamblers.
“Unfortunately for the local community, Casey’s losses translate to $733 for every adult residing within Casey, which is over 13 per cent higher than the state average,” he said.
Mr Rich-Phillips, a member of the Parliament’s Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, said not enough money was being spent on advising problem gamblers how to get help.
“I am well aware that not all gaming machine users have a problem, however numerous submissions to the gaming inquiry have left me with no doubt that there are many in our community that do have a gambling problem and are in desperate need of assistance to stop.”
The VCGR websites states there are 899 electronic gaming machines in the City of Casey.
– Callan Date
