Gambling’s $160m hit
Report shines spotlight on controversial industry
PROBLEM gambling costs the Tasmanian community up to $160m each year, although the true extent of the social and economic damage is impossible to measure, a new report has found.
Gambling took a toll through financial and emotional distress, relationship breakdowns, lost work or impaired performance and property and violent crime, the Fifth Social and Economic Impact Study of gambling in Tasmania has found. But it is likely that overall gambling is a net economic positive for the community, it said.
“In total, the social costs of gambling that could be both quantified and expressed in monetary values, are estimated to be between $49m and $160m per annum,” the report says.
“The most significant quantifiable cost of gambling in Tasmania is the estimated cost of relationship breakdown at almost $57m, followed by psychological distress of problem gamblers and their immediate family. Some of the social cost estimates are likely to be conservative.
“For example, the costs of violent crime (essentially intimate partner violence) in this analysis are based on the prevalence estimated by the Productivity Commission, and represent only a small share of costs.
“These estimates of gambling-related violence may be substantially understated.”
The report said the likely net economic benefit of gambling to Tasmania was estimated at between minus $36m and $158m. Finance Minister Michael Ferguson welcomed the report, saying the prevalence of gambling in Tasmania has declined from 71.7 per cent in 2008, to 58.5 per cent in 2017 and 47 per cent in 2020.
“The report shows that the most common gambling activity in Tasmania was lottery tickets with 37 per cent of adult Tasmanians participating, followed by Keno at 17 per cent, instant scratchies, 11 per cent, and electronic gaming machines, 9 per cent.
The report revealed that poker machine losses were down from $204m in the last report to $174m.
“Tasmania has the lowest per capita expenditure on gambling of all the states at $733 per adult compared with the Australian average of $1277,” Mr Ferguson said.
Independent member for Nelson Meg Webb said the report was not a clean bill of health for the government’s approach to gambling.
“Gambling expenditure remains high and appears to now be concentrated in a smaller proportion of the Tasmanian population,” she said.
“The big question now is whether the Gutwein Liberal government is prepared to take further action to protect vulnerable Tasmanians.
“Unlike NSW which has a Zero Harm target, this government is complacent and continues to callously dismiss the harm being caused every day by pokies to Tasmanian families and communities.”
Ms Webb said the May 2021 pokies losses of $15,128,068 are the highest May losses for six years
