Dubbo punters lost $24 million to pokies in first half of 2022

According to the latest data published by Liquor and Gaming NSW, punters in Dubbo are losing more money to pokies than anywhere else in the central west.

Between December 2021 and May 2022, people living within the Dubbo Regional Council area put more than $13 million into pokies at their local clubs. And, from January to June 2022, just under $11 million was put into pokies at local hotels.

Elsewhere in the central west, clubs and hotels in Orange made $18.5 million from poker machines, $13.4 million in profit was made in Bathurst venues and punters in Mudgee (Mid-Western council area) put $9.1 million into machines.

In the Dubbo local government area there are currently 408 gaming machines across nine clubs with the Dubbo RSL Club being home to the most poker machines of any venue, 194 in total.

This is a reduction on the number of pokies the club had in the second half of 2020 which came in at a whopping 258. However, the club still rose in the state ranking for the amount of profit made from the machines - up from 77th to 63rd.

Club Dubbo is home to the second highest number of poker machines of any venue in the Dubbo area with 71 in total followed by the Wellington Soldiers Memorial Club with 52 and Sporties Dubbo with 39.

Thirteen hotels in the Dubbo area also have poker machines, with 245 in total.

The Milestone Hotel came in at number one for the amount of pokies, with 29 at the venue. This was closely followed by the Amaroo Hotel with 27 and the South Dubbo Tavern and Macquarie Inn with 25 each.

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The latest data - published in November last year - comes amidst calls from crime prevention bodies and leading charities for the government to introduce cashless cards for gaming machines as a means to tackle money laundering and problem gambling.

"People experiencing financial hardship can be drawn into gambling, hoping for a win to afford groceries and pay the rent," said Wesley Mission CEO and gambling reform advocate, Revered Stu Cameron.

"However, any hope is an illusion, and the predatory pokies industry is positioned in every town and suburb to take advantage of people who may be vulnerable."

"We're talking about enormous losses, but they are the best proxy we have to measure gambling harm."

With a state election coming up in May, these calls have been heard by NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet who has stated his support for cashless gaming and spending limits on pokies.

However, the coalition is yet to come forward with a formal policy approach to achieve that goal.

Other members of the coalition - including member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders - have taken a more cautious approach saying they're still in talks with industry and will have more to say on the matter "soon".

"I've been talking to local clubs, and we've always said we will work with industry to fix the problem while protecting jobs. I'm confident we can do both," he said.

Approached by the Daily Liberal to answer some questions regarding proposed changes and the impact they might have on the club, Dubbo RSL Club management said they would be unable to provide comment as they are also still in discussions.

Clubs NSW - who represent the RSL, Sporties Dubbo, Club Dubbo, the Dubbo Golf Club and the Macquarie Club-Dubbo - said it supports the idea of cashless pokies but does not think it should be mandatory.

"We know that society is moving towards a cashless economy, which is why we already have a digital wallet trial underway," said Clubs NSW Chairman Dr George Peponis.

"The international experience demonstrates that forcing players to use cards drives recreational players to other forms of gambling, in particular to unregulated online casinos, and can exacerbate problem gambling."

"Rather than banning cash, we support banning criminals and problem gamblers from club gaming rooms."

While the coalition are still formalising their position on cashless gaming, other parties running in the Dubbo electorate in May have already come forward with their policies.

The opposition - who have confirmed they will be running a candidate in Dubbo - have presented a platform for gambling reform which includes a ban on political donations from the clubs sector, a year-long cashless gaming trial of 500 machines and lower poker machine cash input limits.

Opposing cashless cards is the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party who said, last week, the proposal was ill-considered for venues in the bush.

"Pubs and clubs in the electorate of Dubbo alone employ 1,500 people and serve many thousands more, while donating over $10 million back to the community," said deputy party leader Mark Banasiak.

"It is clear that there is no consideration as to how this affects local, regional clubs and pubs. It will be very different to how clubs are impacted in Sydney."

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