Pokie Foes: Australia in Thrall to ‘Dracula’

Australia’s per capita gambling losses dwarf the rest of the world’s. That’s a problem for those who say the country’s massive machine gaming industry is a danger to public health. But the bigger problem, or so they contend, is that the industry is too big to reign in.

Pokie Foes: Australia in Thrall to ‘Dracula’

The national debate over Australia’s massive machine gaming industry is heating up once again over newly released statistics indicating that the country’s per capita gambling losses are the highest in the world.

Slot machines, “pokies,” as they’re popularly called, a common fixture in pubs, restaurants, hotels and sports clubs in towns and cities across the continent, account for more than half of Australians’ gambling losses per year