By Goya Dmytryshchak
Gamblers in Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong lost more than $102 million on the pokies in the past financial year, figures released on Friday show.
Statewide, losses were the highest in a decade, totalling $2.7 billion.
Hobsons Bay’s losses for the past financial year were $47,437,370, up from $46,908,519 the previous year.
Maribyrnong punters lost $54,924,961 up from $54,068,509.
Maribyrnong community services director Clem Gillings singled out the municipality’s highest-earning venue, The Palms Bingo & Club in Maidstone.
“At one venue in the city, patrons experienced losses of $13.28million in 2017-18 – this is an increase of more than $507,000 in gambling losses at that venue compared to the previous year,” she
said.
Hobsons Bay’s highest-earning venue was Millers Inn at Altona North, where punters lost $12.97million in the past financial year, $347,427 more than the previous year.
Hobsons Bay strategic development director Bill Millard said the latest figures represented the biggest local increase since 2011-12.
“The large increase is particularly concerning as during the last 12 months the municipality had one less venue open – Williamstown RSL – compared with years earlier,” he said.
Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay are member councils of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, campaigning to make poker machine harm a state election issue.
