Dr McGirr said more must be done to combat the "concerning" gambling loss figures.

"These figures should be ringing alarm bells," Dr McGirr said. "It's been seen as a gambling issue but I think this is a public health issue."

"We intend to write to the Premier and Deputy Premier and ask them to make this a public health issue."

In Wagga and surrounding areas, punters lost a total of $28m to poker machines between June and November 2020 new figures showed, a significant increase from 2019.

Currently, gambling support services are funded by Liquor and Gaming NSW's Office of Responsible Gambling which provides online, phone and in-person support services for problem gamblers.

The services are funded by the Responsible Gambling Fund which NSW casinos are obligated to contribute 2 per cent of their earnings to.

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Through this system, Wagga problem gamblers currently have access to two gambling counsellors, one through Anglicare and one through Wagga Family Support Services.

United Care based in Albury plans to provide two more counsellors to Wagga in coming months, bringing accessible counsellors to four in the city.

Those on the ground say services provided by the Office of Responsible Gambling aren't up to fixing an increasingly widespread problem on their own.

Marisol Kroiter is Anglicare's Financial Counsellor in Wagga and said she has seen an increase in support requests she fears will only continue.

"As an organisation, while we have seen some increase in need, we are bracing for an influx with the ceasing of the Jobseeker COVID supplement support," Ms Kroiter said.

She agreed that problem gambling calls for a wider variety of support options.

"More specialised services are needed to supplement the support offered by organisations like Anglicare, but sadly, regional areas like Wagga seem to miss out,' Ms Kroiter said.

Dr McGirr said the complexity of problem gambling will most effectively be treated by NSW Health, which has greater capacity to support complex health needs.

"It's an addiction," Dr McGirr said. "We know when people get addicted they need the same interventions that we have for drugs, alcohol and smoking."

A spokesperson for the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling said they are committed to minimizing gambling harm through their program with a record $41.2 million allocated to gambling support funds for 2021.

NSW saw gaming machine profits rise by 11 per cent in hotels and 7 per cent in clubs in the second half of 2020 compared with 2019 statistics that "shocked" reform advocates.

The total amount lost in NSW gaming machines in the six months was $2.17 billion.

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