Centacare North Queensland want to start a conversation about gambling after new figures from the Queensland Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation show the pokies have gobbled up almost $30 million of local money in the last financial year.

The "metered win" total for Electronic Gaming Machines in the 2018-19 financial year in Mount Isa was almost $26 million while the total for Cloncurry was almost $4 million, according to the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation.

Metered win is derived by subtracting the metered payouts for the premises from the metered turnover for the premises.

That's over $1000 a year for every person in the district though no one is sure exactly how many people play the pokies.

At a Centacare Mount Isa barbecue to discuss the issue last Thursday, Centacare Gambling Help Coordinator Helen Samasoni said it was important to talk about gambling addiction and how we could address the complex issue.

"Responsible Awareness Week" has been focused on raising conversations in the community about harmful gambling," Ms Samasoni said.

"It's such a secretive addiction, we stress that it's okay to have fun but you need to know your limits."

Ms Samasoni said this year's message was 'Give your gambling a health check'.

"We encourage people to gain more information if they feel they gamble too much or it's starting to impact their work, life, relationships or blocking something else," she said.

If you are struggling with gambling addiction you can contact centacare on 1300 672 273 or via email: centacareisa@centacarenq.org.au

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