Wesley Mission calls for action as new data shows pokies taking more than $1 million from NSW gamblers every hour

Wesley Mission is demanding the NSW government take action to curb gambling as new figures show the state's poker-machine players are losing more than $1 million every hour and $2.3 billion was lost on the state's almost 88,000 machines from April to June 2025.

Wesley Mission's analysis shows that 141 new poker machines were switched on across NSW since March this year despite the Minns government saying it was reducing the overall numbers by reducing the gaming machine entitlement cap. The amount of pokies losses in NSW was up by 8.8% compared to the same period last year.

Wesley’s CEO Stu Cameron called the new figures a "public health catastrophe,” and said "These are machines designed to addict."

In 2023, Dominic Perrottet's NSW Coalition government committed to gambling reforms, including introducing mandatory cashless gaming in all venues by the end of 2028. That was in response to recommendations made in 2023 by the NSW Crime Commission's report into the nature and extent of money laundering in NSW, particularly through gaming machines.

The current state government is yet to respond to 30 recommendations made by the Independent Panel on Gaming Reform in December, following a cashless gaming trial across 14 venues in early 2024. The Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said in a statement that the government is “closely considering” the panel’s findings and, amazingly, that the government is "laser focused" on targeting gaming addiction.

Reverend Cameron said the state's response to the Independent Panel on Gaming Reform was "beyond overdue."

"There have been some welcome initiatives, like taking down signage outside of venues, but frankly this is tinkering around the edges," he said. "The things that will really move the dial on reducing gambling harm is powering down poker machines between midnight and 10am and introducing a mandatory universal cashless gambling card."

Reverend Cameron said revenue raised for the state through pokie machines is a "false economy" and that the true cost to society is many billions of dollars more in terms of loss or productivity, fraud and the cost of social impacts that gambling harm has.”

The Wesley Mission has surveyed NSW residents and found that bold gambling reform has overwhelming public support. The Mission continues to provide crisis support, housing assistance and financial counselling to those devastated by gambling harm across NSW.