Australians are losing billions of dollars more to poker machines than they were before the pandemic, with researchers attributing the sharp increase to “desperation” during a cost-of-living crisis.
In New South Wales, an average of about $22m was lost to poker machines each day during the first six months of 2023, totalling $3.9bn over that period.
Separate analysis shows poker machine losses in some states last financial year were up to 34% higher than during 2018-19, which was the last 12-month period not affected by lockdowns that closed gambling venues.
Analysis by Monash University’s gambling and social determinants unit found NSW residents lost $8.07bn to poker machines last financial year, which was a 23% increase on the…
