The Minns Labor Government is boosting annual funding for GambleAware by $1.3 million to provide people experiencing gambling harm with greater access to peer support workers and services in 44 per cent more locations across NSW.
GambleAware provides free and confidential support to people experiencing gambling harm, whether from their own or someone else's gambling.
Services offered include gambling counselling, financial counselling and peer support.
GambleAware staff also go out into the community to raise awareness of the risks of gambling and how to get support.
The extra funding will bolster the number of service locations across the state from 34 to 49, and employ five more peer support workers, bringing the total number to 16. This is in addition to the gambling and financial counsellors already providing personalised support through GambleAware service providers across the state.
In 2024-25, GambleAware services supported 4,170 people in more than 19,000 counselling sessions and the GambleAware Helpline provided more than 9,500 people with telephone crisis support.
The funding boost builds on the Minns Government's strengthened commitment to the Responsible Gambling Fund which it supported with $20.7 million in funding in the 2025-26 Financial Year, up from $19.2 million the previous year.
A competitive tender process was recently undertaken to continue GambleAware services in 10 NSW regions to ensure essential support is available state-wide.
Contracts for three years plus a two-year extension option have been awarded to the following service providers:
- Wesley Community Services
- Regional Community Care
- Armidale CentaCare New England North West
- Mission Australia
- Uniting
- St Vincent's Hospital Sydney.
Proud Wiradjuri man Dean Dries has been a peer support worker with GambleAware for almost a year.
Mr Dries provides care and guidance to the Northern Sydney and Central Coast regions, drawing on more than 20 years of lived experience with gambling harm and alcohol and drug addiction.
At 18, he turned to several types of gambling to escape feelings of loneliness and not belonging after being bullied at school.
Mr Dries said his gambling grew to be a major financial and emotional burden for himself and his family until he turned his life around with the help of GambleAware services which he is now providing to support others.
The Minns Labor Government is committed to gambling reform to reduce gambling harm in pubs and clubs, money laundering and other criminal activity
We have introduced a series of reforms, achieving more since coming to office than the previous Liberal Coalition Government did in 12 years.
The Government is committed to building on these reforms with evidence-based measures that we know will make a difference and get the balance right.
The reforms the Government has introduced include:
- reducing the overall State cap on Gaming Machine Entitlements by more than 3,000
- reducing the cash input limit from $5,000 to $500 for all new gaming machines with approximately 56% of all machines now having the $500 limit
- introducing Responsible Gambling Officers into pubs and clubs with more than 20 gaming machines to identify and support people experiencing gambling harm
- introducing mandatory gambling incident registers and gaming plans of management for all venues with gaming machines to ensure clubs and hotels actively monitor gaming in their venues and respond to gaming-related situations
- strengthening requirements to ensure ATMs are not located in areas of hotels and clubs that have gaming machines to create important breaks in play
- banning all external gambling signage at venues to protect minors and people experiencing gambling harm from exposure to gambling promotion outside the venue
- banning political donations from clubs with gaming machines to achieve parity with other gambling sectors
- revoking more than 650 outdated exemptions to the mandatory gaming machine shutdown period to restore a uniform break in play from 4am to 10am across the state
- introducing a facial recognition technology (FRT) code of practice for venues voluntarily using FRT to support self-exclusion to help ensure privacy and data is protected to the highest standard.
- committing to creating a statewide exclusion register and introducing a third-party exclusion scheme, as well as further implementing FRT to help venues identify players who may be breaching self-exclusion.
- banning gambling advertising on Transport for NSW owned and controlled assets, including internal and external advertising on trains, metro, buses, light rail, train stations and ferry terminals.
Information about GambleAware services, plus resources and support information are available at www.gambleaware.nsw.gov.au
Call the 24-hour GambleAware Helpline on 1800 858 858 for free and confidential support. In-language support is also available for those from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said:
"The Minns Labor Government is laser focussed on preventing and responding to gambling harm which can have a devastating impact on the relatively small number of people it impacts, along with their loved ones.
"GambleAware is an important gambling harm minimisation service that provides a range of access options to ensure people can get confidential help any time in the way they feel most comfortable.
"An independent evaluation of GambleAware services found that the system is operating well and delivers high-quality, safe, efficient and effective services but could do with increased funding for community engagement, peer support and operational costs.
"That's why we have responded with a funding boost of $1.3 million for the coming year."
GambleAware peer support and person with lived experience of gambling harm Dean Dries said:
"Recovery is not easy, I had to learn how to retrain my brain and if you're aware of your actions, you can take action and walk away.
"I've got my kids back today and I've got a great job and I'm doing something I'm very passionate about.
"I want to give back to the community and let them know they're not alone, there are people who care about them and there is hope.
"The hardest part is to reach out. It's okay to ask for help and it takes a lot of courage.
"I understand what they're going through, as I've been there myself. It's about supporting little wins and connections you build with clients - listening and open and honest conversations without judgment and letting people know they're not alone."
