Annual pokie spend drops 5.3 per cent

Gaming machine expenditure in the country’s 1500 pubs and clubs in 2008-2009 was 5.3 per cent lower than the previous year, according to figures released by the Department of Internal Affairs. Spending dropped from $938.3 million in the 12 months ended 30 June 2008 to $889 million at 30 June 2009, the lowest outturn since 2001-02 (estimated at $777 million).

There were also fewer licence holders, gambling venues and gaming machines at the end of June 2009 compared with 12 months earlier. Licence holders fell 7.5 per cent from 415 to 384, venues dropped 3.3 per cent from 1552 to 1501 and gaming machines were down 1.9 per cent from 19,856 to 19,479.

However expenditure in the three months to 30 June 2009 rose 4 per cent to $217.3 million from $208.7 million in the first quarter of 2009.

The spending is captured through the electronic monitoring of non-casino gaming machines (EMS), which became fully operational in March 2007, enabling the Department to track and monitor operations, ensure the integrity of games and the accurate accounting of money.

Internal Affairs Director of Gambling Compliance, Mike Hill said the mandatory inclusion of Player Information Displays (PIDs) in electronic gaming machines from 1 July 2009 had minimal effect on the overall number of machines. PIDs are a harm prevention measure which ensures that players are kept informed of their losses and wins, duration of play and are prompted to take breaks from play.

“Despite suggestions from the gambling sector that the deadline for PIDs could not be achieved in time and that many venues would drop out, 99.4 per cent of all machines were licensed by the end of June to run PIDs software,” Mike Hill said. “Only 116 out of the 19,500 machines were not brought into the PIDs environment. Some of these machines were known to be obsolete and will be replaced by new PIDs-compliant machines.”