Unions NSW calls for reduction in number of gaming machines
Unions NSW has proposed to reduce the number of poker machines in the state to a minimum of 25,000 over the next five years.
Australia.- Unions NSW has today (March 7) published a call for a gradual reduction in the number of poker machines in the state.
It has also proposed that the state prohibit all online gambling inducements, introduce a ban on all gambling advertising on all media and implement all 31 recommendations from the state report on online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.
Unions NSW’s proposal is to reduce the number of poker machines in NSW through the following measures:
- a moratorium on new poker machine licences in pubs and clubs;
- where establishments with poker machines close or seek to relocate those licences be cancelled and the poker machines be removed from circulation;
- phased five-year reduction of poker machines in NSW, to bring us, at a minimum, in line with Queensland (approximately 25,000 fewer poker machines); and
- redirect the AU$1bn tax subsidy for poker machines installed in registered clubs be used to compensate for the removal of licences. Compensation should be minimal given the historical profits made from those machines.
New South Wales currently has the most machines in Australia and 30 per cent more poker machines than Queensland and Victoria combined with 87,298 gaming machines across clubs, hotels and the Star Casino in Sydney. For comparison, the Australian Capital Territory has 5,200 machines in clubs and hotels, and the Northern Territory boasts 2,195 across various establishments, including casinos.
Profits from NSW machines in clubs and pubs reached a record AU$3.8bn in the first half of 2022, prompting concerns from the NSW Crime Commission, which dubbed the state the “gambling capital of Australia.”
See also: NSW court rules ILGA cannot revoke certain gaming machine approvals
