By Esther Lauaki
Gamblers in Sunbury and the Macedon Ranges lost nearly $30 million on poker machines in the past financial year, figures show.
The state government recently released gaming machine loss data for the 2017-18 financial year which revealed the highest losses across Victoria in a decade at $2.7 billion.
Sunbury’s losses for the past financial year were $19,608,959 up from $18,582,731 the previous year.
Macedon Ranges punters lost $9,557,852 up from $9,526,013.
Of the two municipalities, Sunbury’s highest earning venue was the Royal Hotel raking in more than $6 million while Castello’s Victorian Tavern in Gisborne took more than $5 million.
Hume council was one of 11 councils that last year called for venues to remove machines and reduce opening hours.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform director Tim Costello said he was “deeply disturbed” by the statewide figures.
“The figures don’t lie,” Mr Costello said.
“We need urgent reform to prevent the needless suicides, family violence, bankruptcy and fraud which flows when $2.7 billion a year is ripped from the community through addictive poker machines.”
Mr Costello has called for $1 maximum bets, reduced trading hours, machine numbers and venues, a $200 limit on daily cash withdrawals and no move to cashless gaming.
The alliance launched its Councils Unite For Pokies Reform campaign on the steps of state Parliament last week, calling on political parties to reform electronic gambling machine laws.
The campaign wants poker machine venues to operate for a maximum of 14 hours a day, instead of 20.
