Pokies cost NSW gamblers more than $1 million per hour

With the news that NSW gamblers have wracked up record losses in the past few months, welfare groups and community leaders are urging punters to ease up this Christmas.

Gaming figures released by NSW Department of Liquor and Gaming from the third quarter of 2024 show that gamblers are averaging losses of more than $1 million per hour.

$2.25 billion was lost across the state’s 87,000 poker machines in just 92 days from July to September.

“Now that’s a new high and when that information came out, I was pretty shocked by that I have to say,” said Wagga MP Dr Joe McGirr.

“We know over the holiday period, people will like to enjoy themselves. I get that. But can I just say it’s also a time where rates of domestic violence increase over Christmas and new year,” he said.

“We know one of the drivers for domestic violence is financial stress, and one of the contributors to that is losses from poker machines.

“So it’s a timely reminder at this period for everyone to be very careful and mindful, and frankly, a call to the government to make sure that they take action in relation to the poker machines.”

Wesley Mission’s latest Community Attitudes to Gambling Reform survey of 1000 NSW residents revealed broad support for change.

The October survey indicated 82 per cent support for powering down poker machines between midnight and 10 am, with 72 per cent of people saying they have no reservations about the introduction of a mandatory cashless gambling card.

Wesley Mission CEO, Rev Stu Cameron said the figures showed that the poorer the postcode, the heavier the concentration of poker machines and the larger the losses.

“We urgently need a mandatory cashless card system, with robust harm minimisation measures built in, to protect people from gambling-related harm, eliminate money laundering and provide better tools to empower people to manage their spending,” he said.

“Additionally, powering down poker machines between midnight and 10 am would have an immediate impact, giving people much-needed respite and reducing the gambling harm during this recognised high-risk period.”

Liquor and Gaming figures show that hotel profits have soared, with pubs reaping more than $1 billion from poker machine losses for the first time in a single quarter.

Hotels accounted for 44.8 per cent of the total losses, despite operating only 25.6 per cent of all poker machines active in NSW.

“This is not entertainment. It is callous exploitation, pure and simple – wealthy pub barons and so-called ‘community’ clubs whose harmful business models results in the syphoning of billions of dollars from those that can least afford it,” Rev Cameron said.

Now in its third year, the Wesley Mission survey indicated declining trust in the NSW government to stand up to the gambling industry. Distrust has climbed to 72 per cent while 60 per cent of respondents felt that the gambling lobby had too much influence on NSW politics.

In July, the NSW Government rolled out a range of gambling reforms aimed at harm reduction and cracking down on money laundering and criminal activity.

An independent panel on gambling reform is expected to recommend a move to an account-based system by 2028, a time frame community advocates have described as “glacial”.

“I’m aware that there’s a report with the government now from the panel they set up,” said Dr McGirr.

“But we really need a response to that, and we need some action to try and limit the harm from the emerging losses in our community.”

Rev Cameron agreed the “best Christmas present” the government could deliver was real and practical reform.

“The message to the NSW Government, and the NSW Opposition, is clear,” he said.

“The community has quite simply had a gutful of gambling.”