Every day, Australians lose about $40 million on poker machines — devices deeply woven into the country’s economic and political fabric. The situation in NSW is not normal and the fight to remove pokies from community life needs to continue. Research by The Australia Institute reveals just how addicted New South Wales is to poker machines. New research has found that areas with sizeable Indigenous populations are being flooded with poker machines.
- A spokesperson for the NSW gaming minister David Harris said the government was “considering” the panel’s report and weighing community feedback on the proposed reforms.
- 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.
- The situation in NSW is not normal and the fight to remove pokies from community life needs to continue.
- Last year in Cumberland, the local government area where Nelson Nghe grew up, pubs and clubs made a net profit of about half a billion dollars from poker machines.
The Greens called on the SA government to commit to phasing out all pokies by 2030, calling them a “scourge on our state”. He said the social costs of gambling were likely far more significant than the amount people wager. “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.”
“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.” New research from Roy Morgan has shown that while sports and horse race betting have a high profile, it is poker machines that still command the majority of Australia’s gambling dollar. And he says he wants to turn the focus back onto those who’ve profited from gambling harm — the clubs, the pubs, politicians and manufacturers, like Len Ainsworth. This system was recommended by the executive committee of the Independent Panel on Gaming Reform, a body convened after revelations that huge amounts of money were being laundered by criminals through poker machines in NSW. Both ClubsNSW and the AHA have rejected calls for the introduction of a new system for poker machines in NSW, which would require all gamblers to sign up for an account. He says he wants others to understand the impact of gambling not just on the gambler, but on the people who love them — their family, their community, their kids.
ABC News
Which state in Australia has no pokies?
Anglicare WA CEO Mark Glasson said WA currently has the lowest expenditure on gambling in Australia due to the ban on pokies, and the lowest rates of problematic gamblers seeking financial counselling.
And poker machine revenue, which could be taxed, could help fill the void. He made headlines for suing NSW police officers for defamation, and his own son for selling shares in the family poker machine business Aristocrat Leisure without giving free aussie pokie his father his promised cut. Revenue from gaming machines in South Australia exceeded $1 billion for the first time over the 2024–25 financial year. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.
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. Two pokies may look similar on the surface but perform very differently in real play. The features below are what separate well-designed games from average ones. Australian online pokies can be grouped by gameplay structure rather than visuals alone. Understanding the type of pokie helps you choose a game that matches your bankroll size, session length, and risk tolerance. In the Australian market, pokies with an RTP of 96% or higher are generally considered high-RTP.
Pokies reforms delayed by years after Vic government backdown
When assessing an online casino, we focus primarily on the quality and stability of its pokies, along with core operational and security factors. Our review process covers technical performance, licensing, customer support, bonus conditions and mobile functionality. His aim is to shake people out of their complacency, to ask whether having hundreds of poker machines at your local club — or a dozen stuffed into the back room of every pub — is normal.
This is the wine young people are drinking
“The government has asked the department to conduct detailed economic modelling on proposals,” the spokesperson said. Len Ainsworth didn’t respond to Background Briefing’s requests for an interview, nor did he respond to questions. “I would say that there is a member of the Ainsworth family who has been very generous to the Alliance for Gambling Reform,” Costello says. Costello says that when it comes to gambling, by now, “We know the social costs”. “Pokies are legal, like tobacco is legal but those places would not take donations from tobacco companies.” He says Ainsworth was a “product of his era” who believed strongly in personal responsibility.
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. Of that, over $453 million was collected by the state government, while venues shared in nearly $555 million over the past financial year. Labeled Verified, they’re about genuine experiences.Learn more about other kinds of reviews. Progressive jackpot pokies allocate a portion of every bet to a shared prize pool that keeps growing until it is won.