By Casey Neill
Greater Dandenong Council will chip in $25,000 to help tackle problem gambling.
Councillors approved the contribution to the Alliance for Gambling Reform at their Tuesday 13 June meeting.
Councillor Matthew Kirwan said Greater Dandenong residents lost $119 million to electronic gaming machines in 2015-16 – $326,000 a day and the highest average loss per adult in Victoria.
“About 15 per cent of users of electronic gaming machines are problem gamblers but they account for a very disproportionate 40 per cent of the losses,” he said.
“Three out of four people being harmed by gambling principally use electronic gaming machines.”
Cr Kirwan said pokies addiction affected more than just the gambler and could contribute to family violence, burglaries, unemployment and homelessness.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform advocates for removing addictive and misleading machine design features, introducing $1 maximum bets, and reducing caps in areas like Greater Dandenong.
“We need to work together with other councils and like-minded community organisations to achieve them,” Cr Kirwan said.
It has successfully lobbied the Federal Government to restrict gambling advertisements during sports broadcasts and G-rated viewing times.
