“In 2005-06, $110 million* was lost to pokies in the City of Greater Geelong," said Bruce Lindsay. "This ranks among the highest absolute losses for any municipality in the State. The money lost could have been spent on poorly funded essential services and that's why the Greens in State Parliament will work to cut the number of pokies in the Geelong area to around 390, when the current contract expires.”

“Geelong's loss figures don't take into account the social and financial damage created by gambling,” says Bruce Lindsay. “In fact pokies’ losses per person in Greater Geelong are eight per cent above the state average.”

Bruce Lindsay says these statistics point to a significant gambling problem and this is not surprising given the number of machines currently in the region.

“Such loses are hardly surprising when Geelong has 22 per cent more poker machines per person than the state average, “ said Bruce Lindsay. “And many pokie venues are found in poorer areas, such as Norlane, Corio, Breakwater and Newcomb.”

“Billion-dollar gaming corporations are extracting millions out of the pockets of working families in Geelong – and the venues are taking their cut along the way,” said Bruce Lindsay.

In State Parliament after November 25, the Greens will work to:
- reduce poker machine numbers in the City of Greater Geelong, by 70 per cent, as part of introducing a state-wide cap
of 10,000 poker machines (as current contracts expire),
- remove ATMs from all gambling venues (except in country towns with no other accessible ATM) and ensuring EFTPOS
facilities at venues do not permit cash withdrawals,
- install coin-only poker machines,
- reduce the machine maximum credit balance to $200 (from $9,949 at present),
- put a ban on free food and drink at gaming venues.

For more information and comment please contact:
Bruce Lindsay on (mob) 0439 035 277
or
Dave Lane on (mob) 0419 156 213

Background: * Source: Victorian Commission on Gambling Regulation

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