The City of Bundaberg has experienced one of the worst floods that the country has seen. A week of flooding led to millions of dollars’ worth of damage, but the harsh weather conditions did not deter residents from spending money on poker machines at local pubs and clubs. The flood took place over the course of a week at the end of January 2013. From January to February, pokies spending in Bundaberg amounted to $7.9 million.
It is certainly remarkable that residents still managed to spend millions on pokies, but it is even more impressive that they topped the previous year’s spending. In 2012, $7.5 million was spent on pokies during the same period of time. In 2011, $7.3 million was spent. According to gambling researcher Matthew Rockloff, these numbers should not come as a surprise.
When it comes to devastating conditions, alcohol and gambling spending is not only maintained but also has the potential to increase. Playing pokies and drinking alcohol are a form of escapism to some people, presenting solace during tough times. "Particularly when you're playing electronic gaming machines or the pokies where you don't have to worry about what's happening outside," says Professor Rockloff.
"It's just you interacting with the machine and distracting yourself." A similar situation was seen after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch. Although many of the city’s pokies became inaccessible, gambling spending continued to rise. Local residents used gambling as a coping mechanism, and they seemed to have adopted the same approach in Bundaberg.
Fortunately, the rise in spending does not seem to correlate with an increase in problem gambling activity. Although players spent more on pokies so far in 2013, gambling addiction does not seem to be on the rise.
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