Horsham's monthly pokies expenditure has decreased in May by more than $100,000, new data has revealed.
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According to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission figures, $847,011 was lost on electronic gambling machines in the Horsham Local Government Area for May 2022, a decrease from $954,364 in April 2022.
In total, Horsham has three venues with 153 pokies machines.
The April-May drop represents Horsham's first decrease in electronic gambling machine expenditure since February 2022.
Northern Grampians Shire also saw a decrease in expenditure, from $897,663 in April to $810,399 in May.
Advocacy group Alliance for Gambling Reform has released a new analysis of Victoria's gambling losses following the data release, which found more than $66 billion has been lost across Victoria in the 30 years since pokies were first introduced in the state.
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Alliance for Gambling Reform's chief advocate Tim Costello said the group was calling for urgent action to reduce the impact of losses in Victorian communities.
"The tragedy of this $66 billion figure is the profound damage this presents to countless people, families and communities," Mr Costello said.
"Back then Victoria started with 10,000 machines, today there are almost 30,000 poker machines and despite mandatory closing laws operators have found loopholes to provide gambling access 24 hours a day - and in some of Victoria's most vulnerable communities."
The group called for mandatory closing hours of all poker machine venues from 2am to 6am.
It also wanted the introduction of universal pre-commitment on all poker machines and the lowering of maximum bets on all machines to $1.
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