Communities Face Financial Strain Amid Rising Losses

New South Wales is on track to lose over $10 billion to poker machines by the end of 2026, according to an analysis by Wesley Mission released on 1st June. This projection follows a record $2.37 billion loss in the first quarter of the year.

During the first quarter of 2026, poker machine losses increased by 9.4 per cent compared to the same period last year, rising from $2.17 billion. This marks the highest year-on-year growth in losses since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wesley Mission CEO and Superintendent Reverend Stu Cameron highlighted the impact of these losses amidst a cost-of-living crisis. "In a cost-of-living crisis families across NSW are tightening their belts, often doing without essentials, while at the same time poker machine losses are rising more than two times faster than inflation," he stated.

Impact on Local Communities

Losses are heavily concentrated in certain areas, with Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, and Cumberland recording the highest figures in metropolitan Sydney. In regional NSW, Central Coast, Wollongong, and Newcastle faced the greatest losses. Liverpool and Ryde LGAs experienced sharp year-on-year growth of 17.5 per cent and 17.3 per cent, respectively.

Rev Cameron emphasised the need for urgent reform, stating, "Losses have continued to climb while harm deepens. The question has never been whether reform is needed, it desperately is, but how much longer we must wait for the Minns government to step up and do the hard and desperately needed work to reduce and prevent harm."

Wesley Mission, along with over 50 reform partners, is urging the NSW Government to implement stronger harm-reduction measures, including a mandatory cashless gambling card and a statewide shutdown of poker machines from midnight to 10am.

The Wesley Mission analysis also projects that, if current trends continue, Canterbury-Bankstown and Fairfield could become the first NSW LGAs to lose $1 billion in a year on poker machines. This projection indicates the growing financial strain on these communities and highlights the urgent need for effective policy intervention.

In addition to the staggering financial losses, the social impact on families and individuals in these communities is profound. As poker machine losses climb, many families struggle to meet everyday expenses, exacerbating the already challenging cost-of-living pressures in NSW.