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ABC News
a day ago
- Business
- ABC News
SA's pokie losses exceed $1bn for first time, $24m in Mount Gambier alone
More than $1 billion has been lost on poker machines in South Australia in the past year, with experts saying the issue is "spiralling out of control", as cost of living pressures encourage some people to gamble more. Revenue from gaming machines in SA exceeded $1 billion for the first time over the 2024–25 financial year, up nearly $53 million from the previous 12 months. Of that, over $453 million was collected by the state government, while venues shared in nearly $555 million over the past financial year. Losses were particularly bad in regional areas; $24 million across the Mount Gambier and Grant councils and $20.7 million in Whyalla. The Alliance for Gambling Reform's Martin Thomas said gambling losses were "spiralling out of control" across the country, with Australians losing about $32 billion annually to gambling. Mr Thomas said while it is "counterintuitive", studies had shown some people were more likely to gamble when under financial pressure. "Research shows that when people are doing it tough, sometimes it impairs their decision making and the idea of a windfall game, a dopamine hit and escapism — all these factors play into it," he said. "The impacts are in a cost of living crisis are hugely profound. People go without food, people quite often can't pay their rent and it has dire consequences for families." Monash University associate professor Charles Livingstone said while online betting was growing, representing "around 30 per cent" of wagering in Australia, pokies were "still the biggest game in town". He said the social costs of gambling were likely far more significant than the amount people wager. "The most recent study in Victoria estimated that the social costs from gambling [in Victoria] are around $14 billion a year, which is almost three times the amount that people gamble," he said. "When you factor in all those costs, it doesn't look like such a good proposition and, of course, many of those costs are ultimately met by state governments." Across SA's south-east alone, $42 million were lost on poker machines in 2024–25. "Regions certainly have challenges with gambling because pubs and clubs, particularly when it comes to poker machines, are quite often, a central social place and a meeting place for people," Mr Thomas said. "Sporting clubs, likewise, really form the heartbeat of many regional communities. "Unfortunately, that's where poker machines are, and we hear countless stories of people who perhaps are playing football, and they're quite young and they start playing poker machines just as part of that culture and it's a bit of fun. "But for some people it becomes a real obsession and causes enormous financial losses." The Greens called on the SA government to commit to phasing out all pokies by 2030, calling them a "scourge on our state". Greens MLC Robert Simms said poker machines had caused "massive social harm" since their introduction 30 years ago. "There are established links between problem gambling, family violence and violent crime," Mr Simms said in a statement. "It's completely unethical for the state government to continue to use poker machines to raise revenue when they have such a devastating impact on our community." Mr Simms urged the SA treasurer to commit to phasing out poker machines over the next five years and to establish a transition fund to support pubs and clubs to find alternative revenue streams, as had been proposed in other states. "The state government should urgently take up these measures before even more lives are destroyed," he said. "Instead of raising revenue from the gambling losses of struggling South Australians, the state government should instead be funding our essential services by scrapping subsidies for fossil fuel companies and imposing a big bank levy." While the losses are significant, Australian Hotels Association SA chief executive Anna Moeller said the revenue from gaming machines could be "a very important part of helping to make hotels viable". "They act as cross subsidisation, so it means that they can subsidise the cost of food, for example," she said. "That's particularly important now where we've got a cost of living crisis so we're not having schnitzels that are costing $45. "Did they not have the capability of incorporating gaming machines as part of their business model, there are many, many hotels that simply would not be viable." Ms Moeller said poker machines could also be more easily regulated than other online forms of gambling. "South Australia is … the pin-up state in terms of harm minimisation in that space and regulations," she said. "Your danger is that if you over regulate too much, you push people onto those other underground platforms that we don't have optics over." In a statement, Consumer and Business Affairs Andrea Michaels said the government was "committed to reducing the number of poker machines in SA". "SA has some of the strictest laws in the country when it comes to poker machines, including mandated facial recognition and automated risk monitoring of each session of play," she said. "It is certainly a significant amount of money and … we are focused on ensuring that there are protections in place and support available for those who may be struggling with gambling harm."
ABC News
26-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
What's been done since Australia's landmark gambling inquiry?
Tomorrow marks two years since a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its harms handed down its report, 'You win some, you lose more'. Led by the late Peta Murphy, the inquiry heard from victims, families, academics, and health experts, with all committee members supporting the final 31 recommendations. But two years on, the government is under mounting pressure to act on the recommendations. If you or anyone you know needs help, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Guests: Mark Kempster, gambling reform advocate, and Martin Thomas, CEO, Alliance for Gambling Reform Mark Kempster, gambling reform advocate, and Martin Thomas, CEO, Alliance for Gambling Reform Producer: Brooke Young Statement to Radio National Breakfast from the office of MinIster for Communications, Anika Wells "The Minister has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes as we seek to further minimise the harms of gambling. The Albanese Government has undertaken some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history. We know there is more to do, and we will continue with this we have: Established mandatory customer ID verification for online wagering;Banned the use of credit cards for online wagering; Forced online wagering companies to send their customers monthly activity statements outlining wins and new, evidence-based tag lines in wagering advertising;Provided direct funding for specialist financial counselling to support people affected by problem gambling;Introduced nationally consistent staff training;Introduced new minimum classifications for video games with gambling-like BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion access for pokies companies to the R&D tax incentive."
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.
West Australian
12-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
'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.
