Summary
- Poker machines are responsible for unprecedented gambling losses in New South Wales.
- Local residents could be losing up to AU$24 million every day, with losses exceeding AU$2 billion in the first 90 days of 2025.
- Advocates for stricter gambling regulations are demanding increased consumer protection within the industry.
Australians continue to enjoy one of their favorite pastimes—playing poker machines, known as slots elsewhere in the world. However, this hobby comes with a price, as losses for residents in Western Sydney, New South Wales, have escalated to AU$3,200 per person annually.
Aussies keep losing big time on the pokies
According to Wesley Mission, a charity organization, data sourced from government and public records reveals that in New South Wales alone, individuals lose up to AU$24 million daily due to gambling. In the first 90 days of the year, losses reached $2.17 billion, highlighting the government's inadequate response to this significant issue. The charity's leader, Rev. Stu Cameron, urges lawmakers to act swiftly to mitigate the impact of poker machines on the community. Furthermore, the figures provided by Wesley Mission account only for direct financial losses and overlook the broader societal effects, such as the financial and mental burdens these losses impose. Cameron has criticized it as morally indefensible for lawmakers to continue consulting the gambling industry while crafting consumer protection laws, accusing the gaming sector of lobbying in its own interest while families suffer both financially and emotionally.
Some measures have been rolled out, but more are needed
Wesley Mission has recognized some positive changes, including the 2023 reforms where the state lowered the cash input limits from AU$5,000 to AU$500. However, the organization criticized the delay in implementing cashless gaming options, which are intended to help prevent players from overspending. The topic of cash gambling has been a point of discussion in the state since at least 2023, but efforts to implement changes have been stalled by delays. Meanwhile, the country has been enhancing its consumer protection measures by launching a national self-exclusion registry aimed at keeping vulnerable individuals away from gambling.
