The place of poker machines in Australian life, including whether they help create jobs, is hotly contested. Pokies were front and centre in state election campaigns in South Australia and Tasmania in 2018. Meanwhile some operators have been dogged by claims of malpractice. During a radio interview discussing Tasmanian Labor's proposal to remove pokies from the state's pubs and clubs, World Vision chief advocate Tim Costello said a million dollars spent on pokies created only three jobs. Mr Costello's claim is not clear cut. A lack of current data makes it impossible to make a definitive statement about gaming income and jobs creation. The claim does accord with credible 2006 research, which experts consulted by Fact Check said would likely still hold true today. However, the data it relies upon is now 17 years old. They noted that some venues had used poker machine revenues to fund expansion in other areas of their business, such as dining services, which may have led to the creation of more jobs. But money spent on pokies depresses economic activity in other areas where that money might have been otherwise spent. This makes it hard to say where jobs are being lost or created.
Verdict: Not clear cut