Premier Chris Minns is under growing pressure from within the New South Wales Labor Party to strengthen gambling reforms, with senior figures from different factions backing proposals to sharply reduce the number of poker machines operating across the state.

Ahead of the party’s state conference in July, Labor members are preparing to debate measures that would cut the state’s poker machine total by roughly half over the next decade. The proposal, introduced by Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne, would reduce the number of machines by at least 45,000 from the current level of almost 90,000.

Support for the proposal has emerged from both the party’s Left and Right factions, alongside backing from Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey. Critics inside the party argue the government has failed to deliver major reforms during its first term despite growing concern over gambling-related harm.

“One thing we’ve learnt over the last few years is there has got to be a reduction in the number of machines and, honestly, if you have more than 20 poker machines you’re a casino and you should be regulated like a casino,” Morey said according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Internal Calls for Faster Gambling Reform

Pressure on the Minns government has intensified following reports that gamblers in NSW lost a record $9.3 billion on poker machines in 2025. Concerns have also grown after the government delayed its response to recommendations from an expert panel examining cashless gaming technology.

Before the last state election, gambling reform became a major political issue when former premier Dominic Perrottet pledged to introduce mandatory cashless gaming across NSW poker machines. Labor, then in opposition, supported only a trial of the technology.

Nearly 18 months after the trial process began, the government has indicated it is unlikely to implement a full cashless gaming rollout in pubs and clubs, despite similar systems operating at Sydney casinos including The Star Sydney and Crown Sydney.

Minns acknowledged this week that poker machines had become deeply embedded across NSW communities. “We’ve inherited a situation where they are ubiquitous in our communities, and I’m very sorry for that,” he said. “If we were starting from scratch, there’s no way we would deploy 90,000 total machines in suburbs across Sydney and NSW.”

The premier also warned that reducing machine numbers on a large scale could create financial pressure for venues and employees connected to the hospitality sector.

“I just caution against there being supposed buckets of money to compensate clubs if we were going to drive them out of business,” he said. “The question is, what’s the best way of ensuring that we can have harm minimisation in our communities, whilst at the same time there’s about 130,000 people that are employed in the sector, and they’re well-paid jobs, and obviously families rely on them,” Minns added.

Local Councils and Unions Join Reform Push

Calls for stronger action have spread beyond party conference discussions. Georges River Council, which overlaps part of Minns’ electorate of Kogarah, recently passed a unanimous motion urging the government to introduce mandatory cashless gaming cards, reduce poker machine operating hours and impose tougher caps on machine numbers.

The motion described the billions lost through gambling as “not abstract figures, but represent real harm to individuals, families and communities”. Councillors also raised concerns that “the pace and scale of reform” introduced since Labor came to office in 2023 “has not matched the severity of the problem”.

Labor councillors, including Oatley candidate Elaina Anzellotti, attempted to amend the motion to include reference to reforms already introduced by the government. Those measures include lowering cash input limits and reducing the number of poker machine entitlements by about 3000.

“We just need to acknowledge there have been some reforms,” Anzellotti said. “They are a work in progress.”

The government has already implemented several changes affecting pubs and clubs. Venues must now shut gaming machines down for a mandatory six-hour period between 4am and 10am. Authorities have also reduced cash input limits on new machines from AU$5,000 to AU$500, introduced Responsible Gambling Officers at larger venues and banned visible gaming-related signage outside venues.

At the same time, AUSTRAC has stepped up scrutiny of clubs amid concerns about money laundering through poker machines. Bankstown District Sports Club was recently ordered to appoint an external auditor after the financial crimes watchdog questioned whether its anti-money-laundering controls were sufficient.