How much harm is gambling causing Monash punters?

Also including: Local voices on The Basin's proposed Shell service station

Matthew Sims
October 01, 2025

⏱️ The 80th edition of our newsletter is a seven-minute read.

Hi there 👋

Matthew Sims here, your reporter at the Eastern Melburnian.

Our subscriber count just ticked over 13,000! A big hello to all our new readers.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has ever reached out to me. I want to be able to tell the stories that are out there in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and I can’t do that unless I hear about what issues impact people.

So, any lead, comment, suggestion or piece of constructive criticism is always appreciated and I will endeavour to get back to you as soon as I can.

You can remain anonymous, as what I really want is to hear your stories first hand.

📩 Just reply to this email, or ping me directly: [email protected]

⛽️ In this spirit, I wanted to highlight one of our Instagram posts from last week - the one detailing an open permit application for a Shell service station in The Basin at the site of a mechanic’s workshop, which has been abandoned for almost 10 years.

🏘️ Responses were mixed between people concerned the development would impact the town’s “quaint” identity, and those who said any development was better than the site being left as a hub for local taggers to graffiti.

🎰 In other news, I took a look into how local punters in the Monash LGA lost an average of $377,000 every day into electronic pokie machines during August.

The Australian Gambling Research Centre recently released research from 2024, which found about 15 percent of the population have experienced harm from gambling. According to the study, about 60 percent of Victorian adults have gambled in one form or another over the past 12 months.

🗞️ Here’s what the Eastern Melburnian has been up to

According to 2024 research from the Australian Gambling Research Centre, about 60 percent of Victorian adults have gambled in one form or another over the past 12 months.

The one thing you gotta know ↑

WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

WEDNESDAY 01/10/25 TO SUNDAY 05/10/25, 10AM TO 2.30PM | Dinosroar Experience
EVERY DAY, 10AM TO 5PM | Tesselaar Tulip Festival
WEDNESDAY 01/10/25 TO SUNDAY 05/10/25, 10AM TO 5PM | Blossom Festival @ Cherry Hill Orchards, Wandin East
WEDNESDAY 01/10/25 AND THURSDAY 02/10/25, 11AM TO 4PM | SkyHigh’s September Children’s Festival
WEDNESDAY 01/10/25 TO SATURDAY 04/10/25, 10AM TO 3PM | Doncaster Templestowe Artists' Society’s spring exhibition
FRIDAY 03/10/25, DOORS OPEN 7PM, SHOW 7.30PM TO 8.30PM | Simon Taylor - So Good
WEDNESDAY 01/10/25 TO SUNDAY 05/10/25 | Melbourne Super Fun Fair

📰 RECENT HEADLINES

In August, gamblers in Monash lost an average of $377,000 a day on pokies

Guilt. Stress. Borrowing money. Selling possessions. And going back to try and recoup losses.

This is the fallout from Australia’s addiction to gambling, with new research showing about one in seven Australians have experienced one or more of the above as they grapple with the punt.

The Australian Gambling Research Centre’s (AGRC) research from 2024, which had a nationally representative sample of 3,881 Australian adults, stated an estimated 3.1 million Australian adults — about 15 percent of the population — have experienced harm from gambling. The AGRC is part of the Federal Government’s Australian Institute of Family Studies.

The latest statistics show that across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, the Monash LGA topped the list for losses on pokie machines during August, at $11.7 million. That’s an average of $377,000 lost every day of the month - the eighth highest loss of any LGA in the state.

In the Knox LGA, people playing poker machines lost $7.5 million in August, and in Maroondah they blew $5.76 million.

In August, gamblers in Monash lost an average of $377,000 a day on pokies

About 15 percent of adults have experienced harm from gambling, according to new research.

SEEN THIS WEEK 🤓

🗓️ What's on across Melbourne's eastern suburbs in October

From a local celebration of Oktoberfest to a local theatre transforming into a spooky spot for Halloween, there’s plenty to see and do across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs during October.

What's on across Melbourne's eastern suburbs in October

Events include embracing Bavarian culture for Oktoberfest and dressing up in your spookiest outfit for Halloween.

Please reach out if I’ve forgotten anything and if you go to any of these events thanks to my suggestion, please send through a photo and I can shout you out in an upcoming newsletter.

Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Eastern Melburnian. We hope you enjoyed this issue, and we’d love to hear your thoughts. We’ll be back on Friday to shine a spotlight on the under-reported issues in our patch, so stay tuned!

Cheers,

Matthew and the Eastern Melburnian team