Brewarrina Shire Councillor Trish Frail says she is worried about the high volume of gambling in her community.

With only 12 poker machines at the local RSL Club, Brewarrina still sits in the top 50 in terms of profit for that amount of machines in the state. 

There are 1,300 clubs in NSW.

"I want us to gain an understanding of the high level of gambling being undertaken at the Brewarrina RSL Club," Ms Frail said.

‘’I am not attacking The Brewarrina RSL Club but it made twice the state average per poker machine last financial year.

"They took in $1.4million through just 12 poker machines.

"We need to understand what is driving the higher level of gambling being reported by the Brewarrina RSL as there may be important elements that council can undertake to address the underlying causes of this increased level of gambling in our community."

She put a motion to the Tuesday 29 July meeting of Brewarrina Shire Council.

"We need to ask ourselves is there something that Council can do to limit the harm that may be being caused by excessive gambling in our community.

"This is not an investigation against the RSL but a rather an investigation of what is causing this high level of gambling in our communit.

"We can work with the RSL with the way Responsible Conduct of Gambling is implemented in the club.’’

In its report on problem gambling in small communities, Wesley Mission said the negative impacts can be broad and can include some or all of the following:·  

• Increase debt and poverty
• Loss of assets
• Increase reliance on social services
• Social harm including relationship problems
• Social isolation
• Stigma and shame
• Increase crime rates
• Mental and emotional harm

"These are a few of the issues in Brewarrina that could be caused by gambling problems," Ms Frail said.

"I'm hoping that together we can work with the community and the RSL to lower the high level of gambling and the associated problems caused by gambling.’’