More than 670 poker machine venues across New South Wales will lose their “outdated exemptions” to operate after 4am as the state government responds to pressure to address “a public health catastrophe”.
The decision, announced by the state’s gaming minister David Harris, will ensure gaming rooms are closed at the mandated 4am deadline. Some venues are allowing them to be played 24/7.
The change, which may result in pushback from the powerful clubs and pubs lobby, comes after criticism from the government’s own independent advisory panel on gambling, a damning audit report and political pressure from the Greens and Liberals.
It also follows state government-funded research that showed poker machine players were significantly more likely to experience harm after midnight.
Harris said the exemptions were no longer acceptable and 673 clubs and pubs would be given until 31 March to adapt.
“Following months of review, it is clear the 20-year-old variations enabling more than 670 clubs and pubs with gaming machines to operate outside the mandated hours were no longer fit for purpose,” Harris said.
The exemptions have been provided for a variety of reasons, including venues being considered tourist destinations or experiencing financial hardship.
Clubs and pubs that believe they have a “strong case” for the exemptions to remain will be able to appeal against the decision before 31 March but must meet tougher conditions imposed by the state’s independent regulator.
Those conditions have not yet been announced.
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The change will ensure more venues comply with a minimum six-hour shutdown period that allows gamblers to “go home, get ‘out of the zone’, and reflect on their behaviour’”.
About 20% of poker machine venues across the state have some form of exemption.
In October the conservative Australian Christian Lobby backed a private member’s bill from the NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann to remove the exemptions.
“The fact that these exemptions have not been reviewed in 20 years is unacceptable when you think about the social cost,” said the ACL’s chief executive officer, Michelle Pearse.
Last month the NSW Liberals agreed to support moves to end the exemptions despite opposition from their Coalition partners the Nationals.
Faehrmann’s bill also calls for the mandatory shutdown to be moved from 4am to 2am. But the state government believes the 4am deadline is appropriate.
Research commissioned by the state government, which was cited as one of the reasons behind the decision to remove exemptions, found that 70% of people gambling between 4am and 10am were considered “high risk or moderate risk gamblers”.
More than $1m is lost to poker machines every hour in NSW, according to analysis by the charity Wesley Mission, with $2.3bn lost between April and June.
This was an 8.8% increase on the amount of money lost during the same three-month period in 2024, despite the state government introducing a number of measures designed to limit harm.
The Wesley Mission’s chief executive, Stu Cameron, described the figures as a public health catastrophe and urged the state government to take action.
In June the state’s auditor general found the government had not set targets to reduce the harm caused by poker machines and could not confidently state if it was protecting people.
The auditor general also said the NSW government was doing “relatively little” to assess whether pubs and clubs were identifying and preventing gambling harm at their venues.
Harris has repeatedly denied accusations that the state government has not done enough to address the problem, saying it takes gambling harm minimisation seriously.
“These changes are a continuation of measures we are making to protect people in NSW who are experiencing harm,” Harris said.
• In Australia, Gambling Help Online is available on 1800 858 858. The National Debt Helpline is at 1800 007 007. In the UK, support for problem gambling can be found via the NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic on 020 7381 7722, or GamCare on 0808 8020 133. In the US, call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 800-GAMBLER or text 800GAM.
