70 Years of Pokies in NSW

On the 19^th of September 1956, the NSW Parliament legalised poker machines in registered clubs. Seventy years later, we are still counting the cost of that decision. 

For two straight years, poker machine losses in NSW have exceeded $1 million an hour. Year on year, the losses are increasing at a rate higher than inflation. At the current trend, they will exceed $10 billion this year.  

At three in the morning, while most of the city sleeps, someone can be sitting alone at a poker machine chasing losses and losing thousands of dollars. Why do we allow a product capable of causing this level of harm to keep operating through the night? Nothing good happens on a poker machine at 3am.  

The culture around poker machines and gambling is changing, however. Communities are finding their voice. Councils are backing stronger action on poker machine harm. Political parties including AC NSW also support the need for change. 

Organisations such as Wesley Mission have proposed a number of simple solutions to reduce the harm caused by gambling. One of these is to turn poker machines off between midnight and 10am. A midnight-to-10am shutdown provides a simple circuit breaker. It does not close pubs or clubs. It does not kill the night-time economy. A vibrant night-time economy should involve people eating in restaurants, seeing live music, going to the theatre, and meeting up with friends.  

Why not join the “Put Pokies in their Place” campaign and make your voice heard by the NSW government? Reform is rarely convenient and it takes courage. Industries resist it. Governments worry about revenue. Arguments are made about personal responsibility, individual freedom, job losses, and unintended consequences. Governments delay action by commissioning reports and making announcements. 

The true test of gambling reform however is not how many announcements are made. The test is whether losses fall and fewer people experience harm.  

We cannot change the decision NSW made in 1956. We can decide whether another generation lives with its consequences.  

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute”.  

– Proverbs 31:8 

^{ACNSW acknowledges and thanks Wesley Mission for the work they have done on this issue, and for providing AC with data for this article.}