Media release
For immediate release 17 December 2024
Record-breaking losses of $2.25b in just 92 days-
NSW now losing over $1 million to poker machines every hour
The people of NSW are experiencing shocking levels of gambling harm, now losing an average of over $1 million to the state’s poker machines every single hour, or just over $24 million a day. This while the government considers the recommendations recently handed to it by the Executive of the NSW Independent Panel on Gambling Reform.
Data released by the NSW Department of Liquor and Gaming has revealed that in total, $2.25 billion was lost to NSW’s 87,000 poker machines in the 92 days from July-September 2024.
Meanwhile, the State’s hotels continue to grow their share of pokies profits, reporting more than $1billion in poker machine losses for the first time in a single quarter. Hotels accounted for 44.8% of the total losses despite operating only 25.6% of all poker machines active in NSW.
These record figures highlight the growing impact of gambling harm on individuals, families and communities across the State at a time when cost of living pressures remain top of mind for most. Once again, the greatest impact is being felt in some of the state’s most disadvantaged areas. The poorer the postcode, the heavier the concentration of poker machines and the larger the losses.
Wesley Mission CEO, Rev Stu Cameron, is reiterating his call for urgent reforms to address the escalating social and financial harm caused by poker machines.
“These record-breaking figures are a stark reminder of the devastating impact poker machines have on communities. It is unacceptable that losses in hotels alone have surged past $1 billion in just three months. 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 says the best Christmas present the government can give the people of New South Wales is to commit to real and practical reform now.
“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. Additionally, powering down poker machines between midnight and 10am would have an immediate impact, giving people much-needed respite and reducing the gambling harm during this recognised high-risk period.”
Wesley Mission’s 4th Community Attitudes to Gambling Reform survey of 1000 NSW residents in October 2024 indicated 82% support for powering down poker machines between midnight and 10am, with 72% of people saying they have no reservations about the introduction of a mandatory cashless gambling card.
“The message to the NSW government, and the NSW opposition, is clear. The community has quite simply had a gutful of gambling.”
ENDS
2024 Q3 poker machine loss data for NSW appears below
Rev Stu Cameron available for interview.
Media contact: Anne Holt 0418 628 342 OR anne.holt@wesleymission.org.au
Quarter 3 2024 poker machine loss data for NSW
Total Losses Q3: $2,253,418,113
Total Electonic Gaming Machines (EGMs) Q3: 87,632
Daily losses Q3: $24,493,675
Hotels 2024
Q3 Jul1 – Sep 30
|
|
Net losses |
# EGMs |
# Premises |
|
Q1 |
$868,693,872 |
22,495 |
1,168 |
|
Q2 |
$913,070,104 |
22,554 |
1,163 |
|
Q3 |
$1,009,469,049 |
22,416 |
1,156 |
Clubs 2024
Q3 Jun 1 – Aug 31
|
|
Net losses |
# EGMs |
# Premises |
|
Q1 |
$1,179,438,186 |
65,117 |
1005 |
|
Q2 |
$1,177,176,842 |
65,321 |
1007 |
|
Q3 |
$1,243,949,064 |
65,216 |
1003 |
Q3 Comparison 2019-2024
|
Q3 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021[1] |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
Hotels |
$712,360,897 |
$828,877,911 |
$89,049,215 |
$964,559,258 |
$946,131,959 |
$1,009,469,051 |
|
Clubs |
$1,018,658,488 |
$1,099,629,441 |
$445,931,027 |
$1,213,389,878 |
$1,165,760,355 |
$1,243,949,064 |
|
Total |
$1,731,019,386 |
$1,928,507,352 |
$534,980,242 |
$2,177,949,137 |
$2,111,892,314 |
$2,253,418,113 |
|
+/- previous yr |
|
11% |
- |
13% over 2020 |
-3% below 2022 |
7% over 2023 |
Top grossing venues in Q3 2024
|
Venue |
Previous rank |
Suburb |
LGA |
Number of machines |
|
|
Hotels |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
Ambulance Station Hotel |
1 |
Auburn |
Cumberland |
30 |
|
2 |
Cross Roads Hotel |
4 |
Casula |
Liverpool |
30 |
|
3 |
Oasis on Beamish |
5 |
Campsie |
Canterbury-Bankstown |
30 |
|
Clubs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
Mounties |
1 |
Mt Pritchard |
Fairfield |
603 |
|
2 |
Bankstown Sports Club |
2 |
Bankstown |
Canterbury-Bankstown |
745 |
|
3 |
Wentworthville Leagues Club |
4 |
Wentworthville |
Cumberland |
545 |
Hotels to watch:
Lidcombe Hotel - #18 in Q2 2024, #5 Q3 2024
Ermington Hotel - #25 in Q2 2024, #10 Q3 2024
Clubs to watch:
Country Club Gledswood Hills (Camden) - #20 in Q2 2024, #10 in Q3 2024.
LGA loss data
Now that Liquor and Gaming provide population figures for LGAs, we are calculating the number of people per EGM. The lower the number, the higher the EGM density.
|
Venue type |
Median across LGAs |
Average across LGAs |
|
Hotels |
384 |
413 |
|
Clubs |
110 |
132 |
Top 10 Metro LGAs for losses
|
|
LGA |
Losses |
Daily losses |
EGM |
Premises |
ppl/EGM |
|
1 |
Canterbury-Bankstown |
$ 190,212,778 |
$2,067,530.20 |
4,917 |
61 |
75 |
|
2 |
Fairfield |
$ 173,617,615 |
$1,887,147.99 |
3,804 |
37 |
55 |
|
3 |
Cumberland |
$ 133,245,483 |
$1,448,320.47 |
2,719 |
32 |
87 |
|
4 |
Sydney |
$ 103,521,626 |
$1,125,235.07 |
3,331 |
160 |
64 |
|
5 |
Blacktown |
$ 102,155,390 |
$1,110,384.67 |
2,919 |
37 |
136 |
|
6 |
Georges River |
$ 71,781,393 |
$ 780,232.53 |
2,091 |
31 |
73 |
|
7 |
Parramatta |
$ 71,709,374 |
$ 779,449.72 |
1,820 |
34 |
141 |
|
8 |
Penrith |
$ 63,644,837 |
$ 691,791.71 |
2,530 |
35 |
86 |
|
9 |
Campbelltown |
$ 58,452,482 |
$ 635,353.07 |
1,876 |
21 |
94 |
|
10 |
Liverpool |
$ 55,861,965 |
$ 607,195.27 |
1,410 |
20 |
166 |
Top 10 Regional (non-metro) LGAs for losses
|
|
LGA |
Losses |
Daily Losses |
EGMs |
Premises |
Ppl/EGM |
|
1 |
Central Coast |
$ 84,077,998 |
$ 913,891 |
4,326 |
64 |
80 |
|
2 |
Wollongong |
$ 52,394,413 |
$ 569,504 |
2,788 |
63 |
77 |
|
3 |
Newcastle |
$ 49,457,036 |
$ 537,576 |
2,736 |
81 |
62 |
|
4 |
Lake Macquarie |
$ 42,504,765 |
$ 462,008 |
2,419 |
58 |
88 |
|
5 |
Balranald, Berrigan, Carrathool, Central Darling, Edward River, Federation, Hay, Murray River |
$ 41,561,517 |
$ 451,756 |
2,501 |
52 |
uncertain |
|
6 |
Tweed |
$ 28,846,789 |
$ 313,552 |
1,874 |
28 |
52 |
|
7 |
Albury, Greater Hume, Lockhart, Narrandera, Snowy Valleys |
$ 28,343,654 |
$ 308,083 |
1,492 |
41 |
uncertain |
|
8 |
Shoalhaven |
$ 24,579,815 |
$ 267,172 |
1,645 |
36 |
66 |
|
9 |
Kiama, Shellharbour |
$ 22,508,269 |
$ 244,655 |
1,183 |
25 |
84 |
|
10 |
Mid-Coast |
$ 21,808,347 |
$ 237,047 |
1,363 |
46 |
71 |
This list may not be accurate – because Liquor and Gaming publish the data with LGAs bundled together (as can be seen by numbers 5 and 7 on this list), Wesley Mission may have missed a bundle of LGAs that lost more than $21.8million in the quarter. The difficulty of tracing these linked LGAs, which vary quarter to quarter, and venue type by venue type, further reinforces our call for venue by venue data (without taxation data) to be published, as is the case in Victoria.
[1] Reduced losses due to Covid-19 lockdowns.
