00:00A staggering $1 billion dropped on the slots.
00:07If people want to do it, it's their choice.
00:10It's really not necessary.
00:11I think we can spend our money on a lot better things than that.
00:14The latest data from Consumer and Business Services shows that's a jump of about $50 million
00:20compared to the previous financial year
00:23and almost double the pokies' expenditure in the 2019 to 2020 period.
00:29More than $200 million were spent across the Port Adelaide Enfield and Salisbury councils alone,
00:36while in the Wyalla and Mount Gambier Grant Council areas,
00:39pokies' spending topped a combined $45 million.
00:43The Greens and advocacy groups are calling for change.
00:47We know that addictive behaviour can present at times when people are really struggling
00:52and that's why these machines are so immoral.
00:55They're pushing for a ban on all new pokies' machines
00:58and to phase them out completely by 2030
01:01with a support package to help venues transition away from gambling revenue.
01:06That would be a massive start and I'd love to see that get across the line.
01:09I think that would be amazing.
01:11Pokies destroy lives and they destroy families
01:15and now is the time to rip them out of our pubs and clubs.
01:18But the Hotels Association says it'd decimate the industry.
01:22It says pubs use the revenue to upgrade beer gardens and dining rooms
01:27and to keep the cost of food and drinks affordable.
01:30Cross-subsidises the cost of a schnitzel, for example,
01:33so this is why people aren't paying $45, $50 for a schnitzel.
01:37In a statement, the government says it's committed to reducing the number of poker machines
01:42in South Australia and that it's focused on ensuring protections are in place
01:47and supports are available for people struggling with gambling harm.
01:51But with more than $450 million dollars of pokies' revenue collected
01:56by the state government last year, convincing them to get rid of them completely
02:00might be a tough sell.
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