That's on top of the $42.8m swallowed up by electronic gaming machines last financial year.

Figures released by the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation show almost every municipality in the region experienced higher expenditure through the pokies with December being a particularly lucrative month for operators.

Warrnambool's six licensed revenues with a total of 234 electronic gaming machines recorded $1.72m in punter losses for December - up by more than $120,000 on the previous December, but below the $1.83m in December 2008.

The 2009-10 financial year total losses in Warrnambool were $19.1m, which represented expenditure of $765 for each of the city's 24,990 adults - well above the state average of $611 per adult.

However, Warrnambool's pokies expenditure is boosted by tourism and visitors from adjoining shires including Moyne which has a ban on electronic gaming machines.

Warrnambool recorded more than $1.7m expenditure on pokies for each of July and August last year while September, October and November had more than $1.6m.

The average expenditure per electronic gaming machine in Warrnambool last financial year was $81,651 - almost $16,000 below state average and the average expenditure per hotel pokie was $103,365 - $22,000 below state average, but $7000 above the country pub average.

Club-based pokies in Warrnambool had an average expenditure of $71,206 which is above average for the state and rural areas.

The duopoly of gaming machine ownership held by the Tatts Group and Tabcorp will end next year when a new venue-operator model comes into effect.

Operators bought machine entitlements at auction last year with Warrnambool having some of the state's highest prices.

New players, the Flying Horse Bar and Brewery Ltd with eight entitlements and SJ Beaumont Investments Pty Ltd with 19 entitlements are yet to announce where their machines will operate.

Last year the Flying Horse indicated it wanted to add pokies to its offerings for patrons at its east Warrnambool bar and restaurant.

Speculation surrounds the Beaumont entitlements investment of $2.479m because as yet the company does not own a venue in Warrnambool.

Industry sources suggest Raffertys Tavern in west Warrnambool.

Warrnambool City Council would have to give planning approval for a new pokies venue to fit under its cap of 234 machines.