Problem gambling involving poker machines has been a major issue in the community for many years.

Put simply, enormous heartache is created by such gambling because people become addicted.

So often we hear about families struggling to get food on the table because the addiction instead has to be fed.

In some cases – something that has been borne out many times on the Border – people end up in court because they steal or commit fraud to fund their habit.

Concerns about the issue have been backed-up now for quite some time by education programs that aim to tackle this issue head-on.

People who are finding things difficult are given advice on what they can do, on helplines they can phone or websites they can visit.

And yet the lure of the pokies appears to be continuing undiminished.

That is demonstrated in the latest Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation figures on the poker machine spend across the state.

There are ups and downs, variations in some areas that don’t hit others, but the main thrust is that people’s gambling habits have largely remained the same.

These statistics reveal that $7.6 million was lost in Wodonga venues alone in the 2015-16 financial year.

Not only is that a lot of money, it represents a jump on the previous year – in 2014-15 the figure was $7.4 million.

The biggest spend was $4.9 million-plus at Elgin’s hotel, while the Birallee Tavern brought in more than $1.5 million and the Blazing Stump Hotel $4.9 million.

Responsible gambling is one thing, but so often no one knows the difference between this and problem gambling until a family has to seek emergency relief simply to put food in their children’s bellies.

It is even more worrying though to hear that St David’s Care in Albury believes gambling rates are continuing to increase thanks to online sports bets.

These are legal activities and of course, it can be fun to have a bit of a flutter.

But as a community we need to make sure that we do whatever we can to help those in trouble, while putting pressure on government to prevent more people falling victim to gambling’s insidious reach.