Did you know that NSW is the poker machine capital of the world, that is, the entire planet, with 87,454 machines across the state inflicting a record $8.64 billion in gambling losses in 2024?
New data from Liquor and Gaming NSW shows a 6.3 per cent increase in net gaming profit among pubs and clubs since 2023, while those with gambling addiction lose out more than ever.
NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) CEO, Cara Varian, said today that if we lined up every poker machine in NSW, the line of devastation would reach from Parliament House on Macquarie Street to Lithgow Workies.
‘If you average out the appalling losses from poker machines, the people of NSW lose $166 million every week, or $47 million every weekend.
‘That’s not a few having a punt, it’s a crisis. This new data is appalling in the extreme, and if it’s not a wake-up call to our state’s leaders, I’m not sure what is.
The trail of destruction can be fixed
Varian said that trail of destruction can be fixed. ‘We just need the NSW Government to stop tinkering around the edges of reform and tackle the issue head-on.
‘We’ve seen the NSW Government take small steps towards reform, but they’re avoiding the big step that would actually help – mandatory cashless gaming.
‘The Independent Panel report explicitly recommended mandatory cashless gaming – if the Government doesn’t implement it now, we will never get ourselves out of this mess.’
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