Gambling Harm Awareness Week has arrived with the need for urgent action to address an epidemic of gambling harm increasing daily. And action is possible, with the Greens introducing a bill to finally close the loophole allowing poker machines to operate during the highest-risk hours. Wesley Mission urges the NSW Government and all politicians to move from awareness into action. Wesley Mission CEO, Rev Stu Cameron, says the Bill, which would mandate poker machines be powered down from midnight to 10am, reflects what the organisation has been calling for over many years - a simple, effective, evidence-based reform that would immediately reduce harm. "This week cannot just be about awareness. For too long, successive governments have been aware of the reach and impact of gambling harm through research and the courageous testimonies of those with lived experience. The community is demanding change. A mandatory pokies shutdown from midnight to 10am is one of the simplest steps the Government can take, and it would have an immediate and life-changing impact. Nothing good happens in a pokies den at 3am in the morning." The cost of inaction is staggering: • From April-June 2025 NSW lost $2.27 billion on poker machines — that is $24.8 million every day, or more than $1 million every hour. • Research shows late-night gambling carries the highest risk of harm, with people more likely to lose control, chase losses and gamble in isolation. • Polling shows 78% of people in NSW want pokies powered down between midnight and 10am. Cameron says Wesley Mission witnesses the consequences daily. "Every day we see people losing far more than money. They are losing marriages, housing, their mental health and hope while reform stays stuck in the slow lane. Families cannot wait for another awareness week. This must be an action week." The current law requires a six-hour shutdown between 4am and 10am but a loophole allows around 674 pubs and clubs to keep machines running through the peak harm window, including some of the wealthiest venues in the state.
Wesley Mission welcomes the Greens' Bill because it does what successive governments have failed to do and will close a loophole that never should have existed.
"The community already supports it, and the experts recommend it. Rampant gambling harm powers on while pokies continue to be powered up after midnight. "For our political leaders, awareness without action is no longer acceptable." Rev Cameron said the Government must not let Gambling Harm Awareness Week pass without meaningful change. "By the end of this week, we hope it is no longer Gambling Harm Awareness Week but Gambling Harm Action Week. Awareness is pointless if government refuses to act on what it knows."
