Media Release 5 June 2025 NSW poker machine losses explode to $2.17 billion in first 90 days of 2025 – Wesley Mission says government is failing to act to address gambling harm Wesley Mission is demanding the New South Wales government urgently act to protect people, as poker machine losses skyrocketed to $2.17 billion in the first 90 days of 2025. Some communities are now seeing average losses of more than $3,200 per person annually. Wesley Mission CEO Rev Stu Cameron says it is "morally indefensible" that it appears industry continues to have a disproportionate influence on policy.. "The government is still bending to the will of powerful clubs and hotel groups while everyday people and families are being financially and emotionally crushed. This is the epitome of policy paralysis."
The latest quarterly data compiled and analysed by Wesley Mission from Liquor and Gaming figures shows NSW residents are losing over $24 million every day — more than $1 million an hour — on poker machines. For the first time, the data also includes estimated annual losses per person by Local Government Area. In: • Fairfield: $3,255 per person • Burwood-Strathfield: $2,511 per person • Cumberland: $2,180 per person These figures do not capture the full picture, as they include children and non-gamblers, meaning the real toll on regular gamblers is likely far higher. Rev Cameron says what the Minns Government has done so far amounts to smoke and mirrors. "The industry is thriving, people are significantly harmed and the government keeps talking of 'reform' while the damage escalates. This inaction is a gift to the industry."
An upcoming Performance Audit by the NSW Audit Office, due to be tabled in Parliament on June 12, is expected to confirm what frontline services already know: the current approach is failing. Meanwhile, the number of poker machines keeps rising — with 87,789 electronic gaming machines now operating across the state. Wesley Mission is calling on the NSW Government to immediately implement: • Mandatory poker machine shutdowns from midnight to 10am • A cashless gambling card with enforceable harm reduction limits • Tighter caps on machine numbers in high-risk communities "These are not radical ideas — they are basic public health protections," said Rev Cameron. "If people were being harmed this severely by alcohol, drugs, or unsafe roads, the government would act. Gambling should be no different. Instead, the government does little while the industry rakes in billions." Regional communities are also bleeding. In the first 90 days of the year: • The Central Coast lost $83.9 million • Newcastle lost $47.5 million Wesley Mission continues to provide crisis support, housing assistance and financial counselling to those devastated by gambling harm across NSW.
