In 2017, there were more than 200,000 active pokie machines in Australia, with 100,000 of them in NSW, the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) found.Īnd in Victoria, 90 per cent of AFL teams operate their own pokies. They’re so easy to come by in a local pub – and that’s helped perpetuate the problem. NSW pokie machines made $6.5 billion in profit in 2019 – roughly the GDP of Fiji.Īustralia is actually home to 20 per cent of the world’s pokie machines, because it is one of the few countries that allows machines outside of casinos. Most of this is coming from New South Wales. According to the Australian Gaming Council, gaming machines account for $12.5 billion in losses in any given year. Those hitting the pokies are losing the most. How exactly is the money being gambled away? Saving that money would be like never having to give up the Government’s Low to Middle Income Tax Offset (LMITO) which is due to end next year. So, a proportion of that $1,236 the average Aussie is losing is going to the Government.
