Australian poker machine players in New South Wales lost more than A$2.1bn (€1.3bn) in less than 100 days last year, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
The continued focus on reforming the Australian gambling regulations - much of it media-led - was bolstered by statistics from the state Liquor and Gaming Department.
They showed that profits for pubs and clubs from the machines reached A$23m a day (€14.6m) and the players’ losses rose 11 percent in 2022.
Slot machines in pubs now account for 44 percent of all losses, although they only account for 26 per cent of the state’s established base of machines.
The statistics, report the lobby in favour of reform, suggest that Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet’s campaign to turn gaming cashless, should be supported.
New South Wales has 86,568 poker machines in pubs and clubs.
