NSW Gamblers Are Losing AU$24M on the Pokies Everyday

Gamblers in New South Wales may be losing as much as AU$24 million a day, a charity advocacy group has said, raising alarm over the rate of gambling participation and, more importantly, the pace at which people are losing money.

Pokie Losses in New South Wales: Reason for Concern, Warns a Charity

To put this in perspective, in Western Sydney alone, people were losing $3,200 per person, the Wesley Mission said. Poker machine losses have hit an all-time high of $2.17 billion in the first three months of the year alone, the charity added, pointing out the unprecedented amounts.

Much of this can be blamed on the government’s decision to take more decisive action against the sector, and even “bending” to the demands of the gaming sector, which has been able to fight off certain unpopular changes so far.

Carded play has been delayed, with the cashless gaming trial not going according to play. In the meantime, Wesley Mission chief executive officer Rev Stu Cameron has said that the government ought to act more decisively and avoid being seen as complacent with gaming establishments.

“The government is still bending to the will of powerful clubs and hotel groups while everyday people and families are being financially and emotionally crushed,” Stu explained.

Wesley Mission is also worried about another aspect of the high level of gambling losses – the knock-on effects that are behind these numbers.

While losses in themselves may be bad, they also point to deeply-rooted societal problems, such as gambling addiction, which pushes people into crushing piles of debt, invites suicidal thoughts, and ruins relationships and careers, the organization warned, urging for more to be done to protect consumers.

The Gambling Losses Do Not Tell the Whole Story

Another worrisome fact is that the numbers do not account for children who gamble, and underage gambling is fairly common in New South Wales and other Australian states.

As to the current measures enacted in the state, such as the reduction of cash input limits to $500 and the ban on external advertising, these measures have been a good first step but need to be enhanced, argues Cameron.

Seen as a gambling hawk, Cameron and the Wesley Mission simply state that this is not an anti-gambling sentiment, but a simple matter of passing public health protections meant to steer people from ruining their lives.