It has been estimated that Australians part with $8.2 billion a year in legal and illegal gambling, a figure more than the gross national product of several Asian and African countries. According to Methodist minister Alan Walker, each person in New South Wales spends an average of $650 per year on gambling. It is not uncommon to see housewives playing the slot machine while shelling peas after their mid-morning shopping. Many people have committed suicide after losing heavily on the poker machine.