'Obscene': the staggering sum the region's gamblers lose a day on pokies

Newcastle ranked third among regional NSW for Q2 poker machine losses. File picture Residents across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens are losing about $1.25 million a day on poker machines. Subscribe now for unlimited access. SAVE $139 All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper All other in your area The latest NSW Office of Liquor and Gaming figures show that combined, the three council areas lost about $115.25 million on poker machines during the second quarter of 2026. Wesley Mission chief executive the Reverend Stu Cameron said the figures should be a wake-up call for policymakers. "For two straight years, NSW has been losing more than $1 million an hour to poker machines. We are now heading towards $10 billion a year," he said. "The test of gambling reform is not how many announcements are made. The test is whether losses fall and fewer people experience harm. "These figures tell us we are nowhere near there yet." In Newcastle, poker machine losses reached a staggering $52.74 million in the June quarter of 2026, or more than $573,000 a day. There were 2665 poker machines across the local government area. Losses were 4.8 per cent higher than in the same quarter in 2025, while losses per person were more than $310. The report ranked Newcastle third and Lake Macquarie fourth among regional NSW for second-quarter losses, while Port Stephens ranked 10th. In the first six months of 2026, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens recorded combined poker machine losses of $230.7 million. Despite having 31 fewer poker machine venues across the state than a year ago, losses continue to rise. Across NSW, hotel poker machine losses grew by 6.1 per cent compared with the same quarter last year, while club losses rose 3.6 per cent. Mr Cameron said pubs had "ruthlessly" perfected a business model that "extracts enormous sums" from communities. "Some Western Sydney pubs are making $18 to $20 million a year from just 30 poker machines. That is obscene," he said. The Central Coast, Wollongong and Newcastle remain among the hardest-hit regional communities. In August, Newcastle councillors backed a campaign to tighten gambling laws after Novocastrians lost $52 million to poker machines in just the first quarter of 2026. Councillors voted to support Wesley Mission's 'Put Pokies in Their Place' campaign, with Greens deputy lord mayor Charlotte McCabe saying at the time that it is often Newcastle's most vulnerable who lose. Wesley Mission's campaign pushes for mandatory cashless gaming cards, a nightly shutdown period, a statewide self-exclusion register, greater transparency with gambling data, and community input into placement of poker machines. The state government's recently announced gambling reform package includes steps towards account-based gambling and a review of poker machine shutdown periods. The reforms are evidence-based and include a statewide exclusion register with mandatory facial recognition technology at the entry of gaming rooms, a third-party exclusion scheme in hotels and clubs, an increased forfeiture rate of one in two and the end of VIP programs related to gaming. It will also ban gambling advertising on all NSW government and council-owned assets, ban unsolicited direct marketing to potential customers, and establish a state-based strategy to reduce online gambling harm. When the announcement was made in August, Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said the reforms are "common sense" and have been developed alongside industry, harm minimisation groups, stakeholders and privacy experts. "By combining new technology, stronger exclusion tools, strengthened regulation and increased funding for harm reduction, we are building a safer system for the future," Mr Harris said. "Our government will continually explore and implement emerging technology to ensure NSW has the most up-to-date safety measures available built into our gambling industry." Mr Cameron said the package included positive measures, but fell "well short" of the protections needed. "A review of poker machine shutdown periods is not a shutdown and a pathway towards account-based gambling is not a requirement nor a commitment," he said. "The government is kicking the can down the road again. "When communities are consistently losing more than $1 million an hour and NSW is heading towards $10 billion in annual poker machine losses, the case for stronger reform only becomes more urgent." If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858. More from Arts & Entertainment Be the first to know when news breaks. Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. 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