13 Victorian councils call on election candidates to step up on gambling harm

Leadership Councils unite as Victorians lose a record $3.318 billion to poker machines 

Thirteen Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) Leadership Councils from across Victoria have joined forces in an open letter calling on Premier Ben Carroll and every candidate standing at the 28 November state election to deliver long-overdue action on gambling harm. 

The open letter, It’s Time for Overdue Action on Gambling Harm, is being delivered to the Premier and to all candidates contesting the election, urging them to commit to two evidence-based reforms: 

• Deliver Mandatory Carded Play with compulsory loss limits – the reform the Victorian Government committed to in 2023, requiring every poker machine user to set a loss limit before they start gambling. 

• Extend the statewide mandatory shutdown of gambling venues to run from midnight until 10am, protecting people when they are most at risk. 

In 2025–26, Victorians lost $3.318 billion on poker machines – the highest losses on record and a figure that continues to climb year after year. 

The letter warns that behind those losses are families under financial strain, children going without food, increased family violence, deteriorating mental health, homelessness, and rising demand on community services. 

While the Government committed to Mandatory Carded Play in 2023, it took two years for a trial to run across forty-three venues – and at the last minute, the loss limit, the key harm-prevention mechanism, was made optional. Mayor of the City of Monash, Stuart James said "We must do more to protect our communities from pokies, one of the most harmful forms of gambling. We have the technology to reduce that harm, but it will only work if carded play is mandatory with binding pre-set limits. If government is serious about reducing gambling harm, responsibility must shift from individuals to where it belongs; onto the gambling industry,"  

“Gambling reform is long overdue. Victorians were promised change, and every week of delay leaves more families paying the price: domestic violence, mental health challenges, children going without food on the table and, at its worst, suicide. It's time for the government to act.” said AGR Chief Advocate Rev. Tim Costello. 

The letter also points to evidence that people experiencing gambling harm are almost three times more likely to be using poker machines between midnight and 4am, making a strong case for extending venue shutdown hours. 

“The evidence is clear and the community is waiting,” the letter concludes. “Now is the time to act on your commitment.”