Latest news with #AllianceforGamblingReform
The Advertiser
28-06-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
What's gambling cost? Advocates slam political inaction
Australia risks losing a whole generation of kids to gambling, as criticisms are levelled at the government for failing to implement reforms from a landmark report two years on. The "You win some, you lose more" parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, chaired by fierce gambling reform advocate the late Peta Murphy MP, delivered 31 recommendations in 2023. The unanimously supported proposals focused on reducing harm, protecting children and applying a long-overdue public health approach to gambling in this country. But two years to the day, gambling reform advocates, health bodies and church groups say the federal government have been silent. More than 80 per cent of Australians want a gambling advertisement ban, and parents are sick of turning on the TV only to find their 10-year-olds discussing the game in terms of odds, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said. "Smoking is legal, but kids shouldn't be seeing it. Same with gambling. People can gamble, but there's grooming of kids," Rev Costello told AAP. "We now have, with the two-year implementation (delay), a whole generation of kids who only think of NRL and AFL in terms of odds." Gambling harms lead to suicides, one-in-four 18-to-24-year-old young men are addicted, 600,000 underage Australians gambled last year, and domestic violence spikes threefold if there is gambling in a family, Rev Costello said. "This industry has been treated as having a normal social license when it's actually pushing very addictive products," he said. "We have literally given our kids over to sports betting companies as fodder for their profits." Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Australia risks losing a whole generation of kids to gambling, as criticisms are levelled at the government for failing to implement reforms from a landmark report two years on. The "You win some, you lose more" parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, chaired by fierce gambling reform advocate the late Peta Murphy MP, delivered 31 recommendations in 2023. The unanimously supported proposals focused on reducing harm, protecting children and applying a long-overdue public health approach to gambling in this country. But two years to the day, gambling reform advocates, health bodies and church groups say the federal government have been silent. More than 80 per cent of Australians want a gambling advertisement ban, and parents are sick of turning on the TV only to find their 10-year-olds discussing the game in terms of odds, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said. "Smoking is legal, but kids shouldn't be seeing it. Same with gambling. People can gamble, but there's grooming of kids," Rev Costello told AAP. "We now have, with the two-year implementation (delay), a whole generation of kids who only think of NRL and AFL in terms of odds." Gambling harms lead to suicides, one-in-four 18-to-24-year-old young men are addicted, 600,000 underage Australians gambled last year, and domestic violence spikes threefold if there is gambling in a family, Rev Costello said. "This industry has been treated as having a normal social license when it's actually pushing very addictive products," he said. "We have literally given our kids over to sports betting companies as fodder for their profits." Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Australia risks losing a whole generation of kids to gambling, as criticisms are levelled at the government for failing to implement reforms from a landmark report two years on. The "You win some, you lose more" parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, chaired by fierce gambling reform advocate the late Peta Murphy MP, delivered 31 recommendations in 2023. The unanimously supported proposals focused on reducing harm, protecting children and applying a long-overdue public health approach to gambling in this country. But two years to the day, gambling reform advocates, health bodies and church groups say the federal government have been silent. More than 80 per cent of Australians want a gambling advertisement ban, and parents are sick of turning on the TV only to find their 10-year-olds discussing the game in terms of odds, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said. "Smoking is legal, but kids shouldn't be seeing it. Same with gambling. People can gamble, but there's grooming of kids," Rev Costello told AAP. "We now have, with the two-year implementation (delay), a whole generation of kids who only think of NRL and AFL in terms of odds." Gambling harms lead to suicides, one-in-four 18-to-24-year-old young men are addicted, 600,000 underage Australians gambled last year, and domestic violence spikes threefold if there is gambling in a family, Rev Costello said. "This industry has been treated as having a normal social license when it's actually pushing very addictive products," he said. "We have literally given our kids over to sports betting companies as fodder for their profits." Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Australia risks losing a whole generation of kids to gambling, as criticisms are levelled at the government for failing to implement reforms from a landmark report two years on. The "You win some, you lose more" parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, chaired by fierce gambling reform advocate the late Peta Murphy MP, delivered 31 recommendations in 2023. The unanimously supported proposals focused on reducing harm, protecting children and applying a long-overdue public health approach to gambling in this country. But two years to the day, gambling reform advocates, health bodies and church groups say the federal government have been silent. More than 80 per cent of Australians want a gambling advertisement ban, and parents are sick of turning on the TV only to find their 10-year-olds discussing the game in terms of odds, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said. "Smoking is legal, but kids shouldn't be seeing it. Same with gambling. People can gamble, but there's grooming of kids," Rev Costello told AAP. "We now have, with the two-year implementation (delay), a whole generation of kids who only think of NRL and AFL in terms of odds." Gambling harms lead to suicides, one-in-four 18-to-24-year-old young men are addicted, 600,000 underage Australians gambled last year, and domestic violence spikes threefold if there is gambling in a family, Rev Costello said. "This industry has been treated as having a normal social license when it's actually pushing very addictive products," he said. "We have literally given our kids over to sports betting companies as fodder for their profits." Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
Canberra Times
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Canberra Times
What's gambling cost? Advocates slam political inaction
More than 80 per cent of Australians want a gambling advertisement ban, and parents are sick of turning on the TV only to find their 10-year-olds discussing the game in terms of odds, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said.
Perth Now
28-06-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
What's gambling cost? Advocates slam political inaction
Australia risks losing a whole generation of kids to gambling, as criticisms are levelled at the government for failing to implement reforms from a landmark report two years on. The "You win some, you lose more" parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, chaired by fierce gambling reform advocate the late Peta Murphy MP, delivered 31 recommendations in 2023. The unanimously supported proposals focused on reducing harm, protecting children and applying a long-overdue public health approach to gambling in this country. But two years to the day, gambling reform advocates, health bodies and church groups say the federal government have been silent. More than 80 per cent of Australians want a gambling advertisement ban, and parents are sick of turning on the TV only to find their 10-year-olds discussing the game in terms of odds, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said. "Smoking is legal, but kids shouldn't be seeing it. Same with gambling. People can gamble, but there's grooming of kids," Rev Costello told AAP. "We now have, with the two-year implementation (delay), a whole generation of kids who only think of NRL and AFL in terms of odds." Gambling harms lead to suicides, one-in-four 18-to-24-year-old young men are addicted, 600,000 underage Australians gambled last year, and domestic violence spikes threefold if there is gambling in a family, Rev Costello said. "This industry has been treated as having a normal social license when it's actually pushing very addictive products," he said. "We have literally given our kids over to sports betting companies as fodder for their profits." Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
The Advertiser
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
'Virtually no oversight' of suburban poker machine dens
A scathing report has found regulators of Australia's biggest poker machine network have failed harm minimisation efforts. In what gambling reform advocates label "the worst kept secret", the NSW auditor-general found regulators were not reviewing licensing conditions once granted and did little to force venues to take meaningful actions when problem gambling was noticed. Some 21 venues in NSW have more than 400 machines, but just two have had their licensing conditions reviewed since July 2019 - when applying for operations changes. Four of the five most-profitable gaming venues were in high-risk gambling harm areas but have not had their risk or harm minimisation measures reviewed in at least a decade, the report said. Premier Chris Minns campaigned on gambling reform at the 2023 election, but the number of poker machines has increased in NSW to 87,749. Profits meanwhile hit all-time highs of $8.4 billion in the 2023/24 financial year. That delivered $2.3 billion in tax revenue, a figure tipped to increase to $2.9 billion by 2027/28. Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO Martin Thomas said the government was not concerned about reducing gambling harm, shown by the regulator "failing to do its job". "NSW already has more poker machines than any other jurisdiction, more than almost any other part of the world," Mr Thomas told AAP. "So it is appalling that the numbers of machines is still increasing despite the rhetoric about reducing the number of machines." NSW had half of all Australian pokies in 2022/23 - with three times as many machines per capita than Victoria. Defending Labor's record, Gaming Minister David Harris pointed to measures including reducing cash input limits, banning external gaming-related signage and introducing responsible gambling officers for venues with more than 20 pokies. But the report found some of the measures, including gradually reducing the number of machines based on forfeiture rates, had not worked. Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the report, combined with the forecast growth in taxes from pokies losses, showed NSW was "addicted to poker machine revenue". "Gambling harm reduction advocates have been warning for a long time that the gambling industry has been allowed to operate with virtually no government oversight," she said. "And the report confirms this." Venues in western Sydney, including in the Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield and Cumberland council areas, had the highest pokies losses, with those three combining to lose $1.9 billion in the year to June 2024. That is almost a quarter (22 per cent) of the state's total losses, despite containing 10 per cent of the NSW population. "In western Sydney, entire salaries are disappearing into poker machines," Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said. An independent panel last year recommended statewide account-based systems by 2028 to prevent money laundering and reduce problem gambling. The recommendation echoed a 2022 crime commission report that lifted the lid on the billions of dollars of dirty money being funnelled through pokies. The former coalition government went to the 2023 state election promising mandatory cashless gaming. A scathing report has found regulators of Australia's biggest poker machine network have failed harm minimisation efforts. In what gambling reform advocates label "the worst kept secret", the NSW auditor-general found regulators were not reviewing licensing conditions once granted and did little to force venues to take meaningful actions when problem gambling was noticed. Some 21 venues in NSW have more than 400 machines, but just two have had their licensing conditions reviewed since July 2019 - when applying for operations changes. Four of the five most-profitable gaming venues were in high-risk gambling harm areas but have not had their risk or harm minimisation measures reviewed in at least a decade, the report said. Premier Chris Minns campaigned on gambling reform at the 2023 election, but the number of poker machines has increased in NSW to 87,749. Profits meanwhile hit all-time highs of $8.4 billion in the 2023/24 financial year. That delivered $2.3 billion in tax revenue, a figure tipped to increase to $2.9 billion by 2027/28. Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO Martin Thomas said the government was not concerned about reducing gambling harm, shown by the regulator "failing to do its job". "NSW already has more poker machines than any other jurisdiction, more than almost any other part of the world," Mr Thomas told AAP. "So it is appalling that the numbers of machines is still increasing despite the rhetoric about reducing the number of machines." NSW had half of all Australian pokies in 2022/23 - with three times as many machines per capita than Victoria. Defending Labor's record, Gaming Minister David Harris pointed to measures including reducing cash input limits, banning external gaming-related signage and introducing responsible gambling officers for venues with more than 20 pokies. But the report found some of the measures, including gradually reducing the number of machines based on forfeiture rates, had not worked. Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the report, combined with the forecast growth in taxes from pokies losses, showed NSW was "addicted to poker machine revenue". "Gambling harm reduction advocates have been warning for a long time that the gambling industry has been allowed to operate with virtually no government oversight," she said. "And the report confirms this." Venues in western Sydney, including in the Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield and Cumberland council areas, had the highest pokies losses, with those three combining to lose $1.9 billion in the year to June 2024. That is almost a quarter (22 per cent) of the state's total losses, despite containing 10 per cent of the NSW population. "In western Sydney, entire salaries are disappearing into poker machines," Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said. An independent panel last year recommended statewide account-based systems by 2028 to prevent money laundering and reduce problem gambling. The recommendation echoed a 2022 crime commission report that lifted the lid on the billions of dollars of dirty money being funnelled through pokies. The former coalition government went to the 2023 state election promising mandatory cashless gaming. A scathing report has found regulators of Australia's biggest poker machine network have failed harm minimisation efforts. In what gambling reform advocates label "the worst kept secret", the NSW auditor-general found regulators were not reviewing licensing conditions once granted and did little to force venues to take meaningful actions when problem gambling was noticed. Some 21 venues in NSW have more than 400 machines, but just two have had their licensing conditions reviewed since July 2019 - when applying for operations changes. Four of the five most-profitable gaming venues were in high-risk gambling harm areas but have not had their risk or harm minimisation measures reviewed in at least a decade, the report said. Premier Chris Minns campaigned on gambling reform at the 2023 election, but the number of poker machines has increased in NSW to 87,749. Profits meanwhile hit all-time highs of $8.4 billion in the 2023/24 financial year. That delivered $2.3 billion in tax revenue, a figure tipped to increase to $2.9 billion by 2027/28. Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO Martin Thomas said the government was not concerned about reducing gambling harm, shown by the regulator "failing to do its job". "NSW already has more poker machines than any other jurisdiction, more than almost any other part of the world," Mr Thomas told AAP. "So it is appalling that the numbers of machines is still increasing despite the rhetoric about reducing the number of machines." NSW had half of all Australian pokies in 2022/23 - with three times as many machines per capita than Victoria. Defending Labor's record, Gaming Minister David Harris pointed to measures including reducing cash input limits, banning external gaming-related signage and introducing responsible gambling officers for venues with more than 20 pokies. But the report found some of the measures, including gradually reducing the number of machines based on forfeiture rates, had not worked. Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the report, combined with the forecast growth in taxes from pokies losses, showed NSW was "addicted to poker machine revenue". "Gambling harm reduction advocates have been warning for a long time that the gambling industry has been allowed to operate with virtually no government oversight," she said. "And the report confirms this." Venues in western Sydney, including in the Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield and Cumberland council areas, had the highest pokies losses, with those three combining to lose $1.9 billion in the year to June 2024. That is almost a quarter (22 per cent) of the state's total losses, despite containing 10 per cent of the NSW population. "In western Sydney, entire salaries are disappearing into poker machines," Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said. An independent panel last year recommended statewide account-based systems by 2028 to prevent money laundering and reduce problem gambling. The recommendation echoed a 2022 crime commission report that lifted the lid on the billions of dollars of dirty money being funnelled through pokies. The former coalition government went to the 2023 state election promising mandatory cashless gaming. A scathing report has found regulators of Australia's biggest poker machine network have failed harm minimisation efforts. In what gambling reform advocates label "the worst kept secret", the NSW auditor-general found regulators were not reviewing licensing conditions once granted and did little to force venues to take meaningful actions when problem gambling was noticed. Some 21 venues in NSW have more than 400 machines, but just two have had their licensing conditions reviewed since July 2019 - when applying for operations changes. Four of the five most-profitable gaming venues were in high-risk gambling harm areas but have not had their risk or harm minimisation measures reviewed in at least a decade, the report said. Premier Chris Minns campaigned on gambling reform at the 2023 election, but the number of poker machines has increased in NSW to 87,749. Profits meanwhile hit all-time highs of $8.4 billion in the 2023/24 financial year. That delivered $2.3 billion in tax revenue, a figure tipped to increase to $2.9 billion by 2027/28. Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO Martin Thomas said the government was not concerned about reducing gambling harm, shown by the regulator "failing to do its job". "NSW already has more poker machines than any other jurisdiction, more than almost any other part of the world," Mr Thomas told AAP. "So it is appalling that the numbers of machines is still increasing despite the rhetoric about reducing the number of machines." NSW had half of all Australian pokies in 2022/23 - with three times as many machines per capita than Victoria. Defending Labor's record, Gaming Minister David Harris pointed to measures including reducing cash input limits, banning external gaming-related signage and introducing responsible gambling officers for venues with more than 20 pokies. But the report found some of the measures, including gradually reducing the number of machines based on forfeiture rates, had not worked. Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the report, combined with the forecast growth in taxes from pokies losses, showed NSW was "addicted to poker machine revenue". "Gambling harm reduction advocates have been warning for a long time that the gambling industry has been allowed to operate with virtually no government oversight," she said. "And the report confirms this." Venues in western Sydney, including in the Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield and Cumberland council areas, had the highest pokies losses, with those three combining to lose $1.9 billion in the year to June 2024. That is almost a quarter (22 per cent) of the state's total losses, despite containing 10 per cent of the NSW population. "In western Sydney, entire salaries are disappearing into poker machines," Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said. An independent panel last year recommended statewide account-based systems by 2028 to prevent money laundering and reduce problem gambling. The recommendation echoed a 2022 crime commission report that lifted the lid on the billions of dollars of dirty money being funnelled through pokies. The former coalition government went to the 2023 state election promising mandatory cashless gaming.
Perth Now
12-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
'Virtually no oversight' of suburban poker machine dens
A scathing report has found regulators of Australia's biggest poker machine network have failed harm minimisation efforts. In what gambling reform advocates label "the worst kept secret", the NSW auditor-general found regulators were not reviewing licensing conditions once granted and did little to force venues to take meaningful actions when problem gambling was noticed. Some 21 venues in NSW have more than 400 machines, but just two have had their licensing conditions reviewed since July 2019 - when applying for operations changes. Four of the five most-profitable gaming venues were in high-risk gambling harm areas but have not had their risk or harm minimisation measures reviewed in at least a decade, the report said. Premier Chris Minns campaigned on gambling reform at the 2023 election, but the number of poker machines has increased in NSW to 87,749. Profits meanwhile hit all-time highs of $8.4 billion in the 2023/24 financial year. That delivered $2.3 billion in tax revenue, a figure tipped to increase to $2.9 billion by 2027/28. Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO Martin Thomas said the government was not concerned about reducing gambling harm, shown by the regulator "failing to do its job". "NSW already has more poker machines than any other jurisdiction, more than almost any other part of the world," Mr Thomas told AAP. "So it is appalling that the numbers of machines is still increasing despite the rhetoric about reducing the number of machines." NSW had half of all Australian pokies in 2022/23 - with three times as many machines per capita than Victoria. Defending Labor's record, Gaming Minister David Harris pointed to measures including reducing cash input limits, banning external gaming-related signage and introducing responsible gambling officers for venues with more than 20 pokies. But the report found some of the measures, including gradually reducing the number of machines based on forfeiture rates, had not worked. Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the report, combined with the forecast growth in taxes from pokies losses, showed NSW was "addicted to poker machine revenue". "Gambling harm reduction advocates have been warning for a long time that the gambling industry has been allowed to operate with virtually no government oversight," she said. "And the report confirms this." Venues in western Sydney, including in the Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield and Cumberland council areas, had the highest pokies losses, with those three combining to lose $1.9 billion in the year to June 2024. That is almost a quarter (22 per cent) of the state's total losses, despite containing 10 per cent of the NSW population. "In western Sydney, entire salaries are disappearing into poker machines," Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said. An independent panel last year recommended statewide account-based systems by 2028 to prevent money laundering and reduce problem gambling. The recommendation echoed a 2022 crime commission report that lifted the lid on the billions of dollars of dirty money being funnelled through pokies. The former coalition government went to the 2023 state election promising mandatory cashless gaming.
