New data indicates that South Australians have set a 13-year record for pokie-playing in the wake of the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions where pubs were forced to temporarily close to help stave off the spread of the Coronavirus. Now that the barriers to gambling have fallen away, the punters are back in droves.
The average monthly expenditure on pokies has been $68.81 million since July which saw figures of $73.21 million, the highest total since August 2007. The figures dipped to $65.46 million in October.
Below is a full breakdown of 2020’s figures thus far, excluding numbers from the Adelaide Casino.
- January – $57.57 million
- February – $54.07 million
- March – $37.13 million
- April – COVID Shutdown
- May – COVID Shutdown
- June – $1.92 million
- July – $73.21 million
- August – $70.99 million
- September – $65.59 million
- October – $65.46 million
All reasonable projections would indicate that the figures will eventually revert to something closer to the expenditure seen at the beginning of the year. The abrupt upturn in spending has provided a much-needed revenue boost for pubs and clubs. Many of these were in some state of crisis because of the mandatory closures.
The dark side
Businesses are celebrating their rising profits, but, from a human perspective, there are more than a few reasons for concern where a dramatic increase in gambling spend occurs.
Ross Womersley, the Chief Executive of the South Australia Council of Social Services, voiced his specific reservations “From our perspective, it’s much worse than going back to normal, it has gone boonta. The withdrawal from poker machines for many people with real gambling issues was a godsend, because, for the first time in ages, they were in positions where they were not spending that money and they were able to have it available to pay for their life requirements.”
“We do know that there was some drift to other gambling activities, but the real concern for us is if people are putting even more back in that has to be a reflection of a real increase in potential harm.”
A dismissive rebuttal
The hospitality sector at large seems to see Womersley’s position on the impact of rising pokie numbers as bordering on being alarmist.
Ian Horne, the State Chief of the Australian Hotels Association retorted, saying, “People who like playing pokies did not play them for three months, so there’s a little bit of pent-up demand. But it is hard to see how it is sustainable because, as other things are opening up all the time, it will be on the wane.”
Horne emphasised that gambling in the state has been on a steady decline since 2006/07, with the scant possibility of revenues ever re-achieving the giddy heights of $792 million again. He added that, according to tax requirements, the SA government ends up collecting 40% of all gambling revenue.
Alternates abound
The increasing popularity of pokies has been accompanied by a broader general interest in other forms of gambling. May search data from Google demonstrates a four-fold increase in searches for “online poker” and “online casinos Australia” since the beginning of the pandemic.
March 22 is when online-gambling searches peaked, the very same day that the government-enforced lockdown forced clubs and gaming facilities across the country to close.
There is no data to suggest any correlation with the lockdown, but lotto ticket sales have also seen notable growth. A report by the Sunday Mail revealed that residents of South Australia spent $552 million on the lotto over the past financial year, a significant increase from $539 million in the previous year.
Problem gambling assistance in Australia The government of South Australia runs 28 different services to assist individuals with gambling problems. The methods of help include fully confidential therapy and counselling offered at no charge. The services are not only limited to gamblers themselves, the friends, and family of the afflicted can also seek help to deal with the adverse effects of being proximate to a problem gambler.
Human Services Minister Michelle Lensink said, “This year’s state budget committed $750,000 over two years to the Gambler’s Rehabilitation Fund, which funds programs and services for problem gamblers to offset a reduction in funding from the industry while gaming venues were closed due to COVID-19 health-related restrictions.”
The two primary resources for anyone seeking help are below.
- 24/7 Gambling Helpline – 1800 858 858
- Gambling Help Online website – www.gamblinghelponline.org.au
