NSW pubs & clubs request approval for pokes played after midnight

Several Australian clubs and pubs have requested that customers be allowed to have access to pokies between midnight and 4 am. According to recent information, gaming venues that operate within this time receive almost twice the amount of their regular revenue from gambling machines.

Applications for late-night trading by gaming operators have seen a considerable increase since November 2021. According to the Liquor and Gaming NSW regulator, venues that increased their trading hours in 2019 received almost a 100% profit from each pokie compared to operators that kept to standard hours.

Despite the profits, the period is perilous for people with gambling addiction. The NSW regulator revealed that customers being on slot machines after 2 am raised concerns because punters usually “chase losses and take greater risks as the night wears on”.

Liquor and Gaming NSW is in the process of analyzing late trading applications submitted to it and is yet to reveal the size of the growth properly.

The regular has, however, created new guidelines “in response to an increase in applications seeking to expand the availability of gaming machines between the hours of 12 am and 4 am, including some where gaming machines are proposed to operate during late hours without liquor being available”.

Per the guidelines, significant evidence revealed that compared to most gambling methods, a higher risk of harm is tied to the use of electronic gaming machines (EGMs). Problem gambling will likely be significantly more than regular poker machine players during those late night hours, “particularly after 2am.”

It was also stated that in an instance where late-night gaming machines were shut down, problem gamblers would be more affected compared to regular or low-risk punters.

“More than half of problem gamblers would choose to go home following EGMs shutting down at a venue rather than migrate to another venue,” the guidelines revealed.

Earlier on, the Responsible Gambling Fund provided finance for the Liquor and Gaming NSW regulator to conduct research on the kind of gamblers that stay on to play poker machines late into the night.

The study will also review the impact of late-night trading on shift workers and problem gamblers. It will “inform decision-making for gaming applications, particularly for extended trading hours.” It will reportedly be concluded early this year.

Since announcing his intention to implement cashless gaming cards and overhaul poker machines in the state, Premier Dominic Perrottet has received the support of anti-gambling advocates as well as the Greens and independent MPs.

The NSW Crime Commission’s report and recommendation are one of the major reasons behind Perrottet’s decision to push the gaming reform. The regulator previously discovered that poker machines in establishments like clubs were used for money laundering and recommended that cashless gaming cards be introduced. Perrottet is set to reveal his cashless proposal before the March poll.

While the premier has significant backing, several groups in NSW have expressed discontent with his methods. Powerful lobby group ClubsNSW has on numerous occasions stated its disapproval of the proposal, even going as far as setting up a campaign against it.

The ClubsNSW run online campaign stated that Perrottet’s proposal was “reckless and unproven” and that instead of stopping criminals like it was intended, the reform would only lead to an increased gambling problem. The campaign also targets the numerous MPs that have shown support for the controversial proposal.

According to the lobby group and the NSW Australian Hotels Association, venues stand to lose a lot financially if the cashless gaming system is introduced. The opposition also claimed that it could equally result in thousands of job losses in the gaming industry.

RSL clubs were also brought into the opposition and, earlier in the week, called on their members to oppose the reform. Margot Smith, the CEO of RSL and Services Clubs Association, claimed that while a digital solution was not outside the question when dealing with poker machines, doing so would do harm to the majority while appeasing the minority.

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