Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation data shows $18.542 million was lost by players in the City of Warrnambool, reflecting an increase of more than $300,000 compared with the previous financial year.

The Corangamite and Colac-Otway shires shared a total expenditure of $10.162 million, while the Glenelg and Southern Grampians shires saw total expenditure of $12.441 million across the financial year.

No poker machines operate in Moyne Shire.

Bethany Community Support chief executive officer Grant Boyd said he was concerned the growth in poker machine expenditure in the south-west was outstripping population growth.

Mr Boyd said there had been a seven per cent growth in poker machine expenditure since the 2013-2014 financial year, which was higher than the state average.

“One of the most important things from our perspective is the impact of problem gambling on families,” he said.

“The Australian Gambling Research Centre did some research and it’s pretty clear there are significant impacts on family relationships, the mental health of family members of problem gamblers and it’s also a transmissible problem between generations.”

An association between problem gambling and family violence had also been found, Mr Boyd said.

“It’s not the cause of family violence but it can be a related issue,” Mr Boyd said. “It might exacerbate family violence.”

Mr Boyd said help including regular counselling and financial counselling was available for problem gamblers and those close to them, and that people should not hesitate to reach out.

Warrnambool has the most machines in the region. The average loss per machine across eight venues operating 234 machines was more than $79,000.

No operators contacted by The Standard were willing to comment.