Monash University gambling researcher Charles Livingstone said Victoria had an optional pre-commitment system for bets. Government statistics show more than $1.5 billion is lost on the pokies across the state each year. 'You can link the same system for pre-commitment to all pokies through clubs and hotels in Victoria so simply … the greedy pubs and clubs with pokies have fought this for more than a decade,' he said.Ĭrown Melbourne has about 2,600 pokie machines, about 10 per cent of the 26,321 spread across the state.
