'Seventy-five per cent of the world's pokies in pubs and clubs are in Australia, and 30 per cent are in Queensland,' he said. Mr Costello said lifestyle, population, and accessibility of pokies were to blame. The city is the second biggest loser in Queensland behind Brisbane, with Gold Coast punters spending $36 million on pokies in June 2022 - up $7 million on the same month the previous year. The Gold Coast's record monthly loss on the pokies was in August 2020 at $38 million, following COVID lockdowns, according to the Alliance for Gambling Reform. The Office of Liquor and Gaming said it was committed to 'reducing gambling harm', and noted Queenslanders' expenditure was down about 2 per cent across all gambling - not just pokies - on 2020–21 figures. 'The rest of the world shakes its head at America, but the rest of the world shakes its head at Australia's gambling losses - the greatest per capita of any nation of the world.'