Responsible gambling advocates have requested information about the poker machine clubs that earn the most money in the country. While this information is not generally made public, 7 News was able to gain hold of the data, which revealed that nine of the top ten pokie venues in New South Wales are located in Western Sydney. According to the statistics, one of the top earners is the Oasis on Beamish in Campsie.
Every week, the venue rakes in $148 000 in poker machine profits which will amount to $1.78 million over the course of three months. Even more profitable is the Railway Hotel in Lidcombe, which earns $150 000 from its pokies weekly and 1.8 million for three months. The Meridian Hotel in Hurstville earns 163 000 in a week, which equals $1.95 million in three months.
The second most profitable pokie club in the country is the Eastwood Hotel, which earns over $165 000 weekly from its pokies. In a quarter of year, that amounts to $2 million and $8 million annually. The top earner is the El Cortez Hotel in Canley Heights. This club brings in $170 000 on a weekly basis from its poker machines, which equals $2.04 million in a quarter.
“Individual machines are making a quarter of a million dollar profit every year,” says Charles Livingstone, problem gambling researcher at Monash University. When asked about the statistics, pokie club owners and the Australian Hotels Association declined to comment. The industry is keeping tight-lipped about this information, but responsible gambling advocates want them to be more open about their earnings.
“The first thing that the state government should do is release figures on poker machine venues,” says MP Nick Xenophon. It is hoped that this leaked data will open up the lines of communication regarding poker machine profits in Australia. It is important that local communities are aware of how much money certainly clubs are making from pokies.
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