More pokies, more losses, more harm, more gambling tax – Wesley Mission says the budget papers expose NSW’s dangerous and harmful reliance on gambling revenue that increasingly hurts families.
Since the government took office, there has been a net increase of nearly 600 active poker machines across New South Wales*, which now total a staggering 87,908, while losses per machine continue to grow well above the rate of inflation.
With the growth of poker machine numbers and losses, forward estimates of pokies taxes underline the budget’s increasing reliance on an industry urgently requiring sensible, proportionate reform. In the 25/26 financial year alone the government is budgeting for an eye-watering $2.61 billion in poker machine taxes.
“This is a false economy. For every dollar made in poker machine tax, evidence shows multiple dollars are lost in healthcare, emergency relief, housing support, financial counselling, lost productivity, as well as other costs.”
A major study** released this week by the Victorian Government put the total cost of gambling harm in that State at $14.1 billion, with electronic gaming machines (EGMs), or poker machines, accounting for nearly $7 billion of that figure, including $2.6 billion in harm caused purely by excess spending***, making poker machines the single largest contributor to gambling harm.
Rev Cameron says, “With poker machine losses in NSW running 2.8 times those of Victoria****, the total cost of gambling harm caused by poker machines in our state would be far more than $7 billion. The economics don’t stack up. The increasing reliance on poker machine taxes hurts rather than helps our budget.
Wesley Mission and other service providers see the impact of rampant gambling harm every day of families in crisis, lives derailed and communities under strain. While the budget banks gambling taxes, families are left to carry the burden.
“There are other ways to raise revenue that do not destroy lives. Unchecked gambling harm should never underpin a budget line item,” Rev Cameron said.
“It is time for NSW to kick the pokies habit and start putting people before profits.”
* Source: Department of Liquor and Gaming monthly premises lists – Licensed premises data
** Social costs of gambling to Victoria 2023 (State Government of Victoria, Melbourne, June 2025)
*** Excess spending refers to the amount of spending by those classified at any level of risk of problem gambling (low-and moderate-risk and problem gambling) by the Problem Gambling Severity Index, relative to those who gamble but are not considered at any level of risk.
**** Poker Machine losses for Victoria $3.03B (23/24 FY) and for NSW $8.4 billion (2024)