The Bundaberg News Mail ($5,000 an hour goes on pokies) reports:

More than $44.3 million has been spent on pokies in the region in the past 12 months, according to figures published on the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation’s website.

This equates to $5058 being poured into the machines every hour.

This amounts to more than your usual slow news day media beat-up.  The figures from the Queensland Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (EGM Statistics by Local Government Area) suggest Bundaberg has serious issues with the pokies.  Consider the annual per capita (15+ population) spending on pokies in Bundaberg and major Queensland council areas:

• Bundaberg:  $582
• Brisbane:  $463
• Gold Coast:  $568
• Ipswich:  $555
• Sunshine Coast:  $512
• Townsville:  $548

With the exception of the Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg has proportionately many more mature-aged and retired residents than other council areas.  It’s a big social welfare concern if it’s pensioners who are responsible for Bundaberg’s high average spending on pokies.

N.B. the figures used in this post are based on the reported money returned as wins, which is around 90% of the money going into the pokies.