Introduction

1. Introduction • The overall saturation of EGMs within Monash is a concern to Council. • The municipality has 6.97 EGMs per 1000 adults compared to that State average of 6.19. • Monash hosts the highest number of pokies per metro local government area (1000). • Monash had the third highest expenditure • in Victoria of $122,053,303.67 in 2010/11.

2. Vulnerable Communities • The spread of EGMs and venues across the City of Monash is disproportionally weighted towards our suburbs of least advantage, including Clayton, Oakleigh, Mulgrave, and Ashwood. • The number of EGMs available in this region of Monash was capped in 2006. • Of the 15 venues in Monash, 10 (66%) and 618 EGMs (62%) are located in this capped region, giving residents in these suburbs a higher accessibility to EGMs. • The location and density of EGMs in vulnerable and socially and economically disadvantaged areas is of continuing concern. • Approximately 70% of Monash EGM expenditure is lost within the capped region.

3. Clayton Statistics • Clayton has the greatest SEIFA index of disadvantage in all of the suburbs in Monash. • When the L’Unico Hotel installs another 7 EGMs, the EGM density for Monash’s most vulnerable community, Clayton, will rise significantly to 10.9 EGMs per 1,000 adults compared to the state average of 6.19. • With 7 additional machines, this venue will have the highest expenditure per EGM per day in Victoria (estimated at an average of $531 per EGM per day).

4. Changes to Gambling Regulation Act 2003 • The commission should always examine the impact on smaller neighbourhoods by using postcode data for the neighbourhood around the venue making the application. • Community benefits that are more significant and genuine, such as help for problem gamblers, as opposed to businesses investing in their own facilities as a community benefit. • The commission should have to consider whether the application will drive the number of pokies in a local neighbourhood over the state average.