Crown Resorts’ newest effort to introduce poker machines at its Sydney casino has been firmly rejected by New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who acknowledged unequivocally that his authorities won’t help any authorized modifications to allow pokies at the Barangaroo website. This resolution arrives as scrutiny grows over playing hurt in the state and the effectiveness of regulatory oversight.
Push for pokies reignited by audit and media experiences:
The push to enable poker machines at Crown’s Sydney on line casino initially emerged in December 2023, when the corporate, going through falling income from high-roller patrons, reportedly approached the federal government with a request to set up pokies. That preliminary effort was turned down. However, new consideration returned to the problem following a report by the Audit Office of NSW, suggesting Crown had a optimistic assembly with NSW Gaming Minister David Harris.
Premier Minns swiftly dispelled the thought of any legislative shift. “The government is not going to move legislation to allow poker machines at Crown casino,” he informed 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 on line casino would function below 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 mentioned.
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 our bodies are “not supporting harm minimisation outcomes effectively.” It additional famous that the division lacks a transparent understanding of playing hurt ranges and has not set particular hurt discount targets.
NSW at present has 87,749 poker machines—virtually thrice the quantity per capita in contrast to Victoria. These machines generated $8.4 billion in income for golf equipment and resorts in 2023–24, contributing $2.3 billion in tax income. However, the social price is critical, with the common NSW grownup dropping $1,242 to gaming machines in the earlier monetary yr.
Despite a discount of 13,758 poker machines since 2001–02, the state would require over 55 years on the present charge of discount to align with the nationwide common in machines per capita.
Premier acknowledges challenges of inherited business construction:
According to The Australian Financial Review, Minns accepted the findings of the Audit Office and acknowledged the dimensions of the problem, 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 study additional reforms, Minns emphasised that any change would take time. Measures already in place—comparable to banning promoting exterior pokie venues and assigning accountable playing officers—are nonetheless below overview to assess their effectiveness.
Reverend Stu Cameron, CEO of Wesley Mission and a outstanding playing reform advocate, criticized the dearth of stronger authorities motion 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 mentioned.
Meanwhile, the Star Sydney on line casino stays the one main venue in the town permitted to function poker machines, a element that is still unchanged because the Crown on line casino continues with out slot machines—an exclusion initially meant to mitigate gambling-related hurt.
