Every year, the spending habits of gamblers across Australia are published in a report that indicates just how much money each person has spent on pokies and other popular casino games. This year, the result seem to be a quite surprising, as spending has made a sharp incline in some unsuspecting areas. According to the report, residents of Manningham spend $687 per person on poker machines.
The national average is $611 (one of the highest in the world), but Manningham's spending overshadows the total significantly. The spending on pokies seems to be growing in suburban areas, while spending slows down in city centres. Over the course of the past year, pokies spending increased by 10% in Manningham to $65 million, while there was only a 2.1% increase in Victoria.
Analysts have blamed the suburban gambling increase on a lack of community activities. It is believed that there are few other leisure activities in which to take part in suburban communities, so residents resort to visiting casinos in their free time. This has led to the spread of gambling addiction in suburban areas and throughout the rest of the country.
Recently, the government has been working hard to curb the growth of gambling addiction in Australia, and health groups hope that the efforts will be successful.