Gambling.co.uk: Gambling News Archive

Lucrative Poker Machines Revealed

Thursday 22nd May 2008

While that Poker video machine in the corner of the bar or sports complex may look innocent it has been revealed that the average machine brings in a massive AUS$90,000 a year. This news has been revealed after the Australian government announced a crackdown on the ownership of these machines and changes to the ‘drop’ which owners are allowed to pocket.

The move has brought secretive billionaire Bruce Mathieson into the spot light with the government affectively targeting his strangle hold on the industry in Australia. It has been revealed that he current has affective control over 6,768 machine and while the new laws would bring this figure down to 4,813, he would still control 35% of the overall machines available in the State.

However, it has also been revealed that the government are going to increase the percentage of income which owners can take from each machine. While publically there has been no comment from Mathieson about this particular change, privately he is alleged to have claimed he would make even more money with the new changes!

This shows the massive market growth for so called ‘Pokies’ and the enormous amounts of money which are at stake. Are those innocent looking machines in the corner really a licence to print money?


Source: Gambling.co.uk News