New figures show Queenslanders lost a record-breaking $227 million on the pokies in August, the biggest month for pokies revenue since records began.

That is an average of $305,000-an-hour and more often than not those losing the most are the ones who can least afford it.

Dr Charles Livingstone is a leading expert on the impacts of poker machines and he tells Mark that for some it becomes a very real and destructive addiction.

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