$480m record pokies profit in South Australia
A report in the Adelaide Advertiser says that South Australian hotels and clubs have pocketed almost $480 million from a record splurge on poker machines.
South Australians lost a staggering $792.6 million on the pokies in 2006-07, up $41 million on the previous year. After forking out $313.8 million to the State Government in tax, hotels and clubs earned an average $38,000 per machine, or a total of $478.7 million, with player losses in 2005-06 a staggering $751 million.
Gamblers parted with their money on 12,581 machines located at 569 venues and figures published last night by the Office of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner do not include Adelaide’s SkyCity Casino.
Anti-gambling campaigners have called on the State Government to fast-track the removal of more machines, with only 17 fewer than there were a year ago, with another 780 still to go to meet Parliament’s target of 3000 set in 2004.
Uniting Care Wesley spokesman Mark Henley says the Government has had enough time and demanded the cuts be made by Christmas. No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon told The Advertiser from Cyprus the figures reinforced his determination to seek a referendum at the 2010 state election to rid SA of pokies entirely.
Biggest spenders in 2006-07 were in the Port Adelaide/Enfield council area, where losses topped $79.9 million, followed by Salisbury ($69.9 million), Charles Sturt ($68.8 million), Onkaparinga ($68.1 million), Campbelltown/Tea Tree Gully ($50.6 million) and Adelaide ($40 million). Hotels and clubs paid $313.8 million in State Government taxes.
Gambling Minister Paul Caica said the Government was committed to removal of the remaining machines and he was already looking at ways to achieve that.
He said gaming revenue was not a measure of problem gambling, and last year’s growth was broadly in line with increased household consumption. Australian Hotels Association general manager Ian Horne says the figures are “not surprising” and agreed with the minister.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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