NSW failing to reduce gambling harm from pokies, auditor-general's report shows
A leading charity has described the system governing poker machines in New South Wales as "broken" in the wake of a damning auditor-general's report into the effectiveness of gaming machine regulations.
NSW Auditor-General Bola Oyetunji has tabled a performance audit into the regulation of gaming machines at state parliament.
The report revealed state agencies Liquor and Gaming NSW and the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) had failed to focus its gaming strategy on harm minimisation.
It went on to say: "The Department has developed a regulatory strategy that sets out its priorities clearly and has communicated this to stakeholders.
"However, the strategy does not have a sufficient focus on the areas that are considered high-risk for gambling harm and does not set any targets for reducing harm associated with gaming machines.
"Gaming machine losses and the social costs of gambling harm continue to be disproportionately concentrated in socio-economically disadvantaged communities."
Wesley Mission chief executive officer Reverend Stu Cameron said the audit's findings were of no surprise.
"While we did not need an audit to know the system is broken, as frontline services have been saying this for years, now it is in black and white," Reverend Cameron said.
The audit's findings include:
The audit report also found the state had significantly more poker machines than all other Australian jurisdictions combined, despite legislative provisions that aim to reduce the number of machines.
The audit report said there were only 12 gambling inspectors and all were based in Sydney.
"While most of the regular inspections are done in Greater Sydney, nine of the 10 suburbs with the highest number of people accessing GambleAware services in 2023-24 were located outside Greater Sydney," it stated.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said people were promised action by Mr Minns when he came into power.
"In Western Sydney, entire salaries are disappearing into poker machines, Premier Chris Minns and Gaming and Racing Minister David Harris are nowhere to be found," Mr Speakman said.
He added that it went deeper than "stopping people from having a flutter".
"The auditor-general's report showed harm is rising, inspections are not happening, and Labor has broken every promise it made," he said.
Greens MP and spokesperson for gambling harm reduction Cate Faehrmann said the report showed regional areas, including Wollongong and Newcastle were not being given the proper attention.
She said the government was failing in its regulatory duty to reduce harm.
"They are tinkering around the edges rather than genuine measures to reduce gambling harm," he said.
"Entire regions could go months or years without a single inspection."
NSW Gaming and Racing Minister David Harris has welcomed the report, with the relevant agencies "accepting its recommendations", but blamed the previous Coalition government.
"The report looked at the period 2019 to 2024, which was largely under the former Coalition government."
He said reiterated the government's commitment to harm minimisation, saying it had already implemented a number of initiatives.
Reverend Cameron said the audit showed a public health crisis.
"If people were being harmed this badly by alcohol, drugs or unsafe roads, action would be swift. This is a public health crisis and it needs to be treated as such."
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