Losses by pokies players to poker machines in Canberra clubs have soared despite a government policy of cutting the number of machines to try to wean gamblers off pokies, an analysis by The Canberra Times has revealed.
Ten years ago, there were around 5000 machines in the ACT. Today, it's just over 3500. Despite that fall, the losses sustained by punters rose from $176 million to $188 million.