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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Stephanie Convery

‘Sobering reminder’: Victorians lose record $251m to poker machines in a month

Gambling at poker machines
Gambling at poker machines. New data shows Victorian pokie losses in December were highest in Brimbank, which is the state’s third-most disadvantaged council area and the one hit hardest by Covid Omicron. Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP

Victorians have poured a record amount of money into poker machines since Covid-19 restrictions lifted, losing $251m in December last year – the highest monthly loss in the state since records began.

It surpassed the previous record set in ​​December 2008, when $250m was lost to electronic gaming machines (EGMs) after the first wave of stimulus payments as part of the federal government’s response to the global financial crisis.

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