Desperate gamble on the pokies

Pokie spending has jumped in the wake of Ipswich’s floods.

Related links

• RSL jobs at stake

IPSWICH poker machine players lost a staggering 30 per cent more per machine in February compared to the same month last year and a social services expert has warned they may be trying to recoup money lost in the floods.

Players lost $3266 per machine in February, 2010 from 1504 operational machines. That skyrocketed to $4244 per machine a year later from 1249 machines – an increase of $978 per machine.

Overall for the first two months of 2011 Ipswich pokie players lost $11,014,282 compared to $10,233,353 in January and February – an increase of 7.9 per cent.

Queensland Council of Social Services (QCOSS) president Karyn Walsh said there was “a real risk that people are seeing gambling as a solution to the problems they are facing.”

“I’d encourage the people of Ipswich not to use gambling as a release and solution to their problems because ultimately if they get too addicted it will create more problems for them,” she said.

“The marketing for gambling is that it is enjoyable and there is a quick fix when you win – but there is not a lot of marketing that focuses on the increasing pressure that comes on people when they lose.

“A lot of our member organisations are seeing that people are under increased pressure – even if the floods haven’t impacted directly on their own homes it has had an effect on their employment options.

“This is a time when we are facing cost of living pressures that are unprecedented with the rise in electricity, rent and petrol.”

Ms Walsh’s warning comes amidst outrage by the gaming industry against the Federal Government’s plan to push ahead with a scheme to force any person who plays a poker machine to register for a licence and insert it in a machine whenever they bet.

“To make these people feel like addicts because they enjoy playing the pokies is un-Australian,” President of Clubs Australia, Peter Newell, said.

But Ipswich’s surge in February figures was stunning with players losing $4,912,677.95 from 1504 machines at 42 venues in 2010. That compares with $5,301,245.41 from 1249 machines at 35 venues a year later.

As a result, Ms Walsh said many people impacted by the floods were trapped in poverty and debt and “precariously placed just to be able to pay their bills.”

“There is a risk people see gambling as a short term solution to that. When people win it gives them a reprieve but it is no way to solve the underlying problems.

“People should ring their local services. There are more financial counsellors available at Lifeline and there is help available so people can deal with issues they are facing. Once people see the bad consequences on their lives they need to stop and deal with the stresses they are facing differently.”