Auditor-General Report confirms Government is failing to reduce poker machine harm
A Performance Audit by the NSW Auditor-General released today into the Regulation of Gaming Machines exposes the Minns Government’s ongoing failure to effectively regulate poker machines in order to reduce the substantial harm they cause, says NSW Greens MP and gambling harm reduction spokesperson Cate Faehrmann.
“Gambling harm reduction advocates have been warning for a long time that the gambling industry has been allowed to operate with virtually no government oversight, and the Auditor-General’s report confirms this,” said Cate Faehrmann.
“The people of NSW lose $23 million per day to the pokies with LGAs with the lowest incomes losing the most. You’d think the Government would be working overtime to turn this around, but instead NSW Treasury has modelled gambling revenue to increase by 5% per annum.
“This report makes it clear: NSW is addicted to poker machine revenue and completely failing in its duty to protect people from the devastating hardship caused by gambling.
The Auditor-General’s report found the NSW Government lacks meaningful monitoring of gambling machine operations and fails to collect key data that would allow it to measure or reduce gambling harm.
“The fact that harm minimisation isn’t even a measurable outcome in the department’s regulatory framework shows just how little regard the NSW Government has for the human cost of pokies.”
“Some of the venues making the most profit from the pokies are operating under outdated, loop-hole ridden conditions that ignore modern best practice in harm reduction. There are clubs in high-risk areas which are still allowed to run late-night gambling. Some clubs have permanent exemptions to opening hour restrictions that have not been reviewed in 20 years! ”
“The idea that there are only 12 venue inspectors for tens of thousands of pokies across the state, all based in Sydney, is staggering. Entire regions could go months or years without a single inspection. How can anyone believe that the system is being regulated effectively?”
“This is a multi-billion dollar industry, fuelling addiction, financial hardship and ill mental health, and the Government is unable to fund proper inspection of venues. It’s outrageous.
“The government must urgently reduce the number of poker machines and their operating hours as well as introduce a mandatory cashless gambling card. These sorts of bold actions based on real evidence are what is needed to reduce harm instead of what the Minns Government has been doing which is just tinkering around the edges.”