Casey set to break pokies record

By Lia Bichel
CASEY residents are on their way to losing a record amount of money to local gambling venues, according to figures obtained from the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation.
The figures have projected that Casey residents will lose more than $127.5 million in local venues this financial year.
They show that gaming expenditure has increased from approximately $98 million dollars in 2002/2003 to $117 million last financial year and is expected to increase another $10 million this year.
State Member for South Eastern Metropolitan Region and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Communities Inga Peulich said that the increase was a cause for concern.
“Gaming expenditure continues to rise in Casey and the Premier, John Brumby has run out of any more solutions for the Casey community.”
However, Mayor Cr Geoff Ablett said the City of Casey was committed to reducing the harms of electronic gaming machines through its Responsible Gaming Policy.
“(The policy) requires that the social and economic impacts of all gaming applications are thoroughly investigated before a decision is made. The policy examines where electronic gaming machines would be more suitable or discouraged,” he said.
“The City of Casey is also partly affected by a State Government ‘capped area’ which restricts any new machines from being introduced until such time that electronic gaming machine density falls. Council is also in the process of developing (in collaboration with other municipalities) a planning policy to guide consideration of applications.”