Melbourne suburbanites 'splurge on pokies'

Desperate housewives have led a $500 million outer suburban poker machine splurge.

Residents of some outer Melbourne municipalities are pumping $10 million a month into poker machines, figures from Victoria's gambling regulator show.

The City of Brimbank, which includes the suburbs of Deer Park, Sunshine and Taylors Lakes is Victoria's gambling hotspot with $58 million spent on its 953 poker machines in the first five months of the 2008/09 financial year.

Brimbank residents spent $3.5 million more on pokies than for the same period last year.

The City of Monash which takes in Glen Waverley, Clayton and Oakleigh was the state's second biggest poker machine region, with a $53.5 million plunge, while the City of Casey which takes in Cranbourne, Berwick and Hallam splurged $53 million.

Victorians spent more than $17 million more on pokies in the first five months of 2008/09 than they did for the corresponding period last year.

Anti-gambling campaigner the Reverend Tim Costello said bored suburban women were vulnerable to problem gambling.

"It is often women who are particularly susceptible to pokies venues. You can be with other people even if you are on your own," Reverend Costello said.

"A feeling of social need that actually leads to addiction and devastation.

"These areas have fewer community facilities, more difficult public transport options to get into the city, so you go to other things that might give you an expression of that social need."

Rev Costello, chief executive of World Vision Australia, said people often got trapped with gambling addictions when they didn't have any intention of being a gambler.

Chairman of Inter-Church Gambling Taskforce Mark Zirnsak said new housing developments in outer Melbourne were being targeted by the gaming industry.

"What the industry has done over time very successfully is target venues into areas where it knows it is going to get the maximum profit back for itself with little regard for the social consequences, the social harms, that might occur," he said.

"We are seeing more and more applications for growing areas on the fringes of Melbourne."

Mr Zirnsak said there were often few recreational opportunities in new housing estates, such as Caroline Springs, while new suburbs such as Laurimar and Craigieburn are extending Melbourne's borders.

"Our feeling has been that basically the Victorian Commission of Gaming Regulation shouldn't be granting licences to new venues in areas where there aren't other recreational options," he said.

"There should be a moratorium on new areas so that there is a chance to establish other alternative recreation to gaming."

AFL clubs are among those targeting the outer suburbs.

Last year's AFL premiers Hawthorn paid itself almost $2 million in revenue from its poker machine club in Mulgrave - and then claimed it as a community benefit.

It also won approval in July to operate 80 poker machines in economically repressed Caroline Springs, in Melbourne's west.

In 2008, Collingwood had a total of 260 machines in separate venues in outer suburbs Lilydale, Ringwood, Diamond Creek and Caroline Springs.

Geelong Football Club has approval to build an 80 poker machine facility at Point Cook, in the outer west.

The City of Greater Geelong was regional Victoria's biggest gambler - with almost $50 million spent on gambling.