Crown Resorts’ latest effort to introduce poker machines at its Sydney casino has been firmly rejected by New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who stated unequivocally that his government will not support any legal changes to permit pokies at the Barangaroo site. This decision arrives as scrutiny grows over gambling harm in the state and the effectiveness of regulatory oversight.
Push for pokies reignited by audit and media reports:
The push to allow poker machines at Crown’s Sydney casino initially emerged in December 2023, when the company, facing falling revenue from high-roller patrons, reportedly approached the government with a request to install pokies. That initial effort was turned down. However, new attention returned to the issue following a report by the Audit Office of NSW, suggesting Crown had a positive meeting with NSW Gaming Minister David Harris.
Premier Minns swiftly dispelled the idea of any legislative shift. “The government is not going to move legislation to allow poker machines at Crown casino,” he told reporters on Friday. “This is a legislative imposition that’s been put in place for over a decade; it would require a bill presumably from the government to knock over that restriction, and I’m not going to do it.”
Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich echoed this sentiment, warning that approving pokies at Crown would “betray the community’s agreement” that the casino would operate under strict limitations. “With gambling harm on the rise, we need less venues with large poker machine floors, not new ones right on the harbour,” Greenwich said.
The renewed debate comes in the wake of a damning report from the Audit Office of NSW, which sharply criticized the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority and the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport. According to the report, these bodies are “not supporting harm minimisation outcomes effectively.” It further noted that the department lacks a clear understanding of gambling harm levels and has not set specific harm reduction targets.
NSW currently has 87,749 poker machines—almost three times the number per capita compared to Victoria. These machines generated $8.4 billion in profits for clubs and hotels in 2023–24, contributing $2.3 billion in tax revenue. However, the social cost is significant, with the average NSW adult losing $1,242 to gaming machines in the previous financial year.
Despite a reduction of 13,758 poker machines since 2001–02, the state would require over 55 years at the current rate of reduction to align with the national average in machines per capita.
Premier acknowledges challenges of inherited industry structure:
According to The Australian Financial Review, Minns accepted the findings of the Audit Office and acknowledged the scale of the issue, noting that “If I had started from scratch, I wouldn’t have elected to have the number of poker machines we have in NSW … but I have to deal with the industry as it is.”
While pledging that his administration would examine further reforms, Minns emphasized that any change would take time. Measures already in place—such as banning advertising outside pokie venues and assigning responsible gambling officers—are still under review to assess their effectiveness.
Reverend Stu Cameron, CEO of Wesley Mission and a prominent gambling reform advocate, criticized the lack of stronger government action following the report. “This inaction privileges the special pleading of a harmful and predatory industry over and above the health and wellbeing of the people of NSW,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Star Sydney casino remains the only major venue in the city permitted to operate poker machines, a detail that remains unchanged as the Crown casino continues without slot machines—an exclusion originally intended to mitigate gambling-related harm.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
