On Friday, the State Government released the NSW Gambling Survey 2019, a major new study into gambling commissioned by the Responsible Gambling Fund.

According to the accompanying press release from the Department of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, the survey found the level of gambling in NSW has actually fallen over the past eight years.

Just over half of the 10,000 people contacted for the phone survey (53 per cent) said they had gambled in the past 12 months, compared to 65 per cent in 2011.

Worryingly, though, the rise of online gaming and sports betting over that period meant that gambling problems were now more prevalent among young people.

"Gamblers aged 18-24 were most likely to be moderate-risk and problem gamblers (14.9 per cent) compared with 7.2 per cent of gamblers overall," the release said.

Still, you were left with the impression that - on the whole - the outlook was pretty rosy and that gambling was not too much of a concern for our state.

But another report, released just a few days earlier by Liquor, Gaming and Racing, told a different story.

That report analysed the net profits reaped by the state's poker machines, as well as the total tax received by the government through the pokies.

The numbers are staggering.

In the Bathurst-Blayney region alone for the six months to May 19, eight licensed clubs reaped a total profit of $7,634,807 from their pokies, at an average of $25,032 for each machine.

Both the total profit and the average per machine was up on 12 months earlier - a story repeated in both Orange and Dubbo.

So what can we take from that?

If, as the first survey claims, fewer of us are gambling, then should we take the increased profits (and tax receipts) to mean that those who are having a flutter are gambling (and losing) more than ever?

If so, it's hardly a story worth celebrating.

This week more than ever, gambling will be at the forefront of our nation's psyche.

But while a few dollars on the Melbourne Cup should not concern anyone, it's clear problem gambling is still a major issue.

And while the millions of dollars in taxes keep flowing to governments, there is no real incentive to make it won't go away.