NSW Says It Won’t Remove 9,500 Slot Machines from Licensed Venues

The NSW government has reconsidered its original stance against reducing the number of such units as a way to address gambling harm and said that the money it would need to scale down operations may as well be better used on harm prevention in the first place.

Removing Poker Machines Won’t Help Address Gambling Harm

Why the sudden change? The government has said that when it pledged to reduce the number of poker machines, it did not possess all the facts.

After running a cost-benefit analysis, the government is now disinclined to press on with what was a central part of its agenda to tackle gambling-harm, arguing that it would be wasteful to the resources allocated to addressing the problem in the first place.

The government argued that it would have to pay approximately AU$60 million, or $38 million US dollars, to remove the machines. The money can be used instead of strengthening player protections and safeguards. This is because the machines would have had to be reduced through a mix of government buybacks and forfeiture.

“The idea of reducing machines sounds very attractive, but when the evidence shows us that it would make no material difference, do you think we should go and spend AU$60 million on something that doesn’t make a difference?” NSW Gaming Minister David Harris explained.

Harris further noted that the issue with problem gambling doesn’t stem necessarily from the availability of the products, but intensity of play, which is another nod to the fact that some of the measures to be implemented in order to reduce gambling harm may have to do with things such as delaying the speed of spins and the maximum bet allowed on each unit.

Intensity of Play Bigger Issue Than Number of Units

According to The Guardian, which originally reported on the matter, the government has taken heed from several well-represented lobby groups, including Clubs NSW, the Australian Hotels Association, Gaming Technologies Australia, and others.

The NSW continues to carry on with its efforts to rein in gambling-related harm, experimenting with different attack angles. In January, the government banned gambling ads from public transport and stations, hoping to minimize exposure to such advertising materials by underage individuals.

Australia has some of the biggest gambling losses per capita, with state governments scrambling to address the issue with renewed zeal.