A midnight to 10am poker machine shutdown is the gambling reform NSW adults want prioritised , according to a new Wesley Mission survey* released as Gamble Aware Week (19-25 Oct 2026) begins.
The survey finds 72 per cent of NSW adults support switching poker machines off from midnight to 10am. Among people who go out after midnight, nine in 10 say a shutdown would either have no effect on their night out or make it better.
Wesley Mission CEO, Rev Stu Cameron, says the community has sent a clear message.
"The community has put a midnight shutdown at the top of the reform list. The message could not be clearer. At midnight, just pull the plug. Pubs and clubs stay open, people keep socialising and the pokies stop."
Rev Cameron says the findings also challenge claims that switching off poker machines would damage the late-night experience.
"The argument that switching off the pokies will kill the night out simply does not stack up. Nine in 10 late-night patrons say it would make no difference or make their night better.
"72 per cent of NSW adults support switching poker machines off from midnight, but the Government has offered a review rather than a commitment. That review must be completed and released before the March 2027 election so voters know where the Government stands and action can follow as soon as possible."
Wesley Mission is urging the NSW Government to act on this community support and introduce a mandatory midnight to 10am shutdown of poker machines.
The survey also finds 78 per cent of NSW adults support a single statewide self-exclusion register, run independently of the gambling industry. When respondents were asked to prioritise eight potential gambling reforms, statewide self-exclusion ranked second only to the midnight shutdown.
Wesley Mission is calling for a single statewide self-exclusion register so people seeking to stop gambling do not have to exclude themselves from individual venues.
Rev Cameron says, "When someone decides to stop gambling, one decision should be enough. They should not have to exclude themselves venue by venue.
"People want a statewide system that helps them stop gambling. That is what we should give them."
Gambling harm is widespread across NSW, with two in five adults knowing a colleague, family member or friend who has been harmed by gambling.
"Gambling is not someone else's problem. It is happening in our families, workplaces and communities," says Rev Cameron.
Just 16 per cent of NSW adults trust the Government to stand up to the gambling industry, a meagre result that has more than halved from 35 per cent in May 2025. Half believe the gambling lobby has too much influence on NSW politics.
Rev Cameron says Gamble Aware Week should put the NSW Government on notice.
"Enough reviews, enough awareness weeks. The Government knows the harm and it knows the evidence. Now it needs to stand up and act.
"The community is asking for practical reform: switch the pokies off at midnight and give people one statewide way to self-exclude. These are not radical asks. They are the reforms people want prioritised."
