POKER machine players in the region lost more than $24 million to hotels and clubs between June and December last year, data from Liquor and Gaming NSW shows.
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The data shows that $24,050,115 was made in net gaming machine profits from June 2020 to December 2020 across 77 venues in the region.
The data includes hotels and clubs and was from the Cowra, Upper Lachlan, Weddin, Hilltops, Cabonne, Forbes and Parkes.
These venues paid $4,662,288 in tax on the gaming machine profits during same time period.
The average net profit per machine, from 994 machines across the region included in the data, was $24,195.
In the 26-week period June 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020, clubs in Cowra made more than $3.3 million net profit from 139 poker machines, at an average of about $24,000 net profit per machine.
Poker machines in Cowra pubs made a net profit of $1,130,539 or nearly $29,000 per machine.
In Parkes, clubs raked in $3.9 million in net profits from their 184 machines, an average of $21,464 per machine.
Pokie players in Parkes pubs lost just over $2.3 million with the 60 machines, bringing in an average of $39,287.
The 102 machines in Forbes clubs netted $1.5 million in profit at an average of $15,127 per machine.
The 11 venues in the Blayney Cabonne local government area where there are 92 machines netted clubs $1.2 million in profits.
The seven hotels included in the data netted $844,395 in profits with the 27 machines average $31,273 per machine.
In the Hilltops, were data was grouped with Yass Valley and Temora, players at 11 clubs lost $5.5 million playing 257 machines at an average of $21,556.
That region's seven pubs realised $1.3 million in profits from 47 machines at an average of $28,154.
Alex Ferguson from Lifeline Central West said that as a society we need to focus less on the mind-boggling sums and more on the drivers behind why people are becoming addicted to a range of activities.
"What is changing in our society that leads to the level of addictions?" Mr Ferguson asked.
"Not only in the gambling world - both online and poker machines - but also the addiction to social networks and drugs and alcohol."
Mr Ferguson said that "significant mental health issues" were arising due to these and other addictions, such as pornography.
He said that a lack of resilience, and confusion among males about their place in the modern world, were likely to be contributing to the problem.
