By Meg Kennedy<\/p>\n
Almost $10 million was lost on poker machines in Moorabool in the last 12-months.
\nNew data released by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) revealed three Moorabool venues as hotspots for pokies, with customers losing a combined $9.6 million in the LGA.
\nThe highest venue saw a total of $5,276,193.49 net electronic gaming machine expenditure (the amount lost by customers) in the 2018\/19 financial year; an increase of almost $430,000 over 12-months.
\nThis was followed by two other venues that recorded a net expenditure $3,358,198.10 and $1,049,430.28 respectively.
\nAccording to the VCGLR entitlements register, Moorabool currently has three licensed gaming venues, all based in Bacchus Marsh.
\nThese three venues hold a combined 110 gaming machine entitlements (each entitlement is equal to one machine) at 45 percent of the Moorabool municipality cap, which is 247 machines.
\nNo new entitlements in Moorabool have been granted in the last 12-months.
\nAlthough applications for machines aren\u2019t decided by Council, Moorabool Shire Mayor Cr Paul Tatchell shared his personal concern regarding the prevalence of gaming machines in Victoria.
\n \u201cI have never seen a gambling venue application in my time on Council, so I can only give a personal viewpoint; I remember when Victorians didn’t have access to poker machine venues in this State\u2026today there are gambling venues scattered all within easy reach, and there is a trail of misery at arms-length from the operators; the Government gets a good lick from the misfortunes and communities pick up the pieces,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cFamilies have lost their homes, people have squandered their life savings and the impact of problem gambling can’t be ignored in terms of family violence, yet the flashing lights continue to lure unabated.
\n\u201cWhilst I acknowledge that some can deal with the novelty of the poker machine without ill-effect, we can’t ignore the self-destruction of the gambling addicted and the knock-on effect to their inner circle,\u201d he said.
\nAlthough Moorabool Shire Council planned to develop a Council Policy \u201cabout problem gambling and the impacts on the community\u201d for 2017, as part of Council\u2019s 2013-2017 Health & Wellbeing Plan, a spokesperson for Council confirmed to the Moorabool News that this plan was scrapped, as it \u201cwas decided this was out of Council\u2019s scope, so never went ahead.\u201d
\nAccording to Responsible Gambling Victoria, $621,084,534 was lost on gambling in regional Victoria in the 2017\/18 financial year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Meg Kennedy Almost $10 million was lost on poker machines in Moorabool in the last 12-months. New data released by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) revealed three Moorabool venues as hotspots for pokies, with customers losing a combined $9.6 million in the LGA. The highest venue saw a total of […]<\/p>\n