Why Aussie just can’t give up the pokies: Expert lifts the lid on why Australians can’t get enough of gambling – and it ISN’T because punters want to win money
- University expert reveals why we have the world’s biggest addiction with pokies
- Australia has the biggest number of pokies per head of population in the world
- Stress and location play a big part, says Associate Professor Charles Livingstone
- Welcomed recent moves by organisations such as Woolworths to depart sector
A university academic has lifted the lid on some of the reasons why Australia has the world’s biggest addiction with pokie machines.
Not only do we gamble and lose more than anyone else in the world but Australia also has the biggest number of pokies per head of population.
Many addicts turn to pokies due to the stresses of daily living, according to Associate Professor Charles Livingstone from Melbourne’s Monash University.
Australia has more pokie machines per head of population than anywhere else in the world (stock image)
‘The pokies are designed to provide a dopamine rush, to give you a sense of wellbeing and euphoria that you aren’t finding anywhere else,’ Professor Livingstone told Channel Seven’s The Morning Show.
‘Once you get hooked into a pokie habit, it’s not so much about the money anymore, it’s about getting into what the players call ‘the zone’.
‘People who get sucked into using pokies regularly are doing it because they just like the feeling. It’s like any other form of addiction.’
Stress and location are among the biggest reasons why people turn to the pokies, according to Associate Professor Charles Livingstone from Melbourne’s Monash University (pictured)
The release of dopamine in the brain is released by a combination of operant and classic conditioning.
‘Operant conditioning is a concept where if you provide a series of random rewards, that’s much more likely to encourage you to keep using something,’ Professor Livingstone said.
‘If you can predict the rewards, you’re not going to be that interested. But if they’re randomised, which is exactly what happens with pokies, then they became much more interesting.
‘Another principle is classical conditioning. If you ring a bell and feed your dog at the same time, then eventually that dog starts to salivate – even if you don’t give it food.’
More and more Australians are turning to pokies to escape life’s stresses (stock image)
Another big reason is location, which is bad news for those who live in the outer suburbs of metropolitan areas.
Pokies are more likely to be concentrated in areas facing the most socioeconomic stress.
In North Queensland, Townsville residents dropping a whopping $18 million into pokie machines in the two months following January’s flood disaster.
Other pokie hotspots include Fairfield in Sydney’s south-west, Brimbank in Melbourne’s west and the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Professor Charles Livingtone has lifted the lid on Australia’s addiction with pokie machines
Professor Livingstone welcomed Woolworths’ recent move to depart the pokies, pubs, and alcohol sectors to focus on its core food and retail business, which he described as a big deal.
For organisations which value their public reputation such as Woolworths and AFL clubs, the risk of operating pokies has become too great, Professor Livingstone said
The supermarket giant is the third biggest Australian poker machine operator behind casinos Crown and Star.
Professor Livingstone has called on governments tolook at alternative revenue raising ways other than pokie taxes and recently submitted 100 recommendations to the Victorian Government.
Woolworths, Australia’s biggest poker machine operator is getting out of the sector