More than $59 million has been lost on poker machines in the City of Greater Bendigo in the 2022/23 financial year.
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That's an increase of more than $13 million - or 20 per cent - on the previous year.
The massive hike is one of the reasons why Bendigo will host the first of a series of regional community forums by Victoria's gambling regulator, highlighting the need to prevent gambling harm.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) will hold the forum with local organisations on August 31.
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Commission to hold gambling industry to account
VGCCC Deputy Chair Ron Ben-David said the forum was seeking the local community's assistance to hold the gambling industry to account.
"The escalating losses underline the real risk of harm being caused by gambling in Bendigo, and across rural regions more widely," Commissioner Ben-David said.
"We want to hear from those dealing with these gambling problems firsthand, and welcome suggestions on how we can best prevent the damage gambling is inflicting on local communities".
Across the state, the VGCCC will be engaging with community organisations on the frontline of dealing with gambling harm.
The initiative is designed to gather firsthand insights into their observations of harm and to support the design of measures to tackle the issue.
In June this year, the Commission released a position statement acknowledging the harm caused by gambling and its renewed focus to target operators that fail to uphold their legal and social obligations to prevent harm.
Forum to hear firsthand account of losses
"We are keen to hear about what Victorians are seeing in the community in terms of gambling harm, and how we, as the state gambling regulator, can improve our regulatory approach to mitigate these harm," Commissioner Ben-David said.
To ensure a wide spectrum of voices, attendees have been drawn on from a variety of sectors including family services, mental health support, local government, indigenous organisations and gamblers' support services.
"The commission's objective to prevent gambling harm is ambitious, and one we can most effectively respond to in partnership with these local organisations," Commissioner Ben-David said.
The event will also hear a report on the commission's recent enforcement actions aimed at harm minimisation, including a recent compliance operation in regional Victoria.
Community organisations interested in participating in the forum can contact robbie.williams@vgccc.vic.gov.au
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