Queensland’s machine gaming industry booked a record A$2.40 billion (US$1.71 billion) in win last year.
The tax haul for the government of the northern Australian state was $718 million for the 2017-18 financial year. This is expected to rise to $750 million in 2018-19, according to official projections.
Across the industry statewide, through November, Queensland’s casinos won $868 million (including slot win), race and sports wagering generated $248 million, keno generated $93 million, and lottery sales totaled $422 million.
But it was the $2.2 billion won by clubs and pubs, equivalent to player losses of $6 million a day, that has prompted calls among activists like Alliance for Gambling Reform Director Tim Costello to reduce the number of machine games, slash the maximum bet from $5 to $1, and cut the hours of operation permitted those venues.
Costello, who blames machine gaming for increased “crime, homelessness, family breakdowns, suicide and bankruptcy,” also wants local governing councils to be given more power over approvals and licensing.
As of December, there were 42,290 machine games at 1,124 locations in the state.
“Imagine how many more jobs and economic activity could be generated if $2.4 billion a year wasn’t being wasted on thoroughly unproductive poker machines,” he said.
Greens MP Michael Berkman said Queenslanders lost triple the amount they spent on visits to doctors and dentist combined: a reported $780 million.
“We’re losing more on these dangerous, addictive machines than we’re spending on basic health services,” he said. “There’s something seriously wrong with that picture.”
Clubs Queensland communications manager Laura Bos countered that her members actively promote responsible gambling.
“The vast majority of people who do have a cheerful flutter on the machines if they’re at their local club or pub do it in a responsible manner,” she said. “But we are very mindful of those who may be having a problem and obviously do what we can to support. Our staff are highly trained. We make sure that we refer anybody who we sense is struggling.”
A recent government survey would appear to bear that out, showing that while 24.7 percent of adults gambled in clubs and pubs in 2016-17, the rate of problem gambling remained stable at 0.51 percent, the second-lowest rate in the country.
