Three of the 10 most profitable clubs in NSW by gaming revenue are operating with extended trading hours after gaining a “hardship exemption” to the mandatory shutdown period for poker machines.
The six-hour shutdown period is designed to enforce a break in play from 4am to 10am when research has shown that gambling harm is most likely to occur.
But a review of gaming machine shutdown hours found that 673 clubs and pubs – or 20 per cent of all venues with poker machines – have been granted an exemption, including 34 on hardship grounds, though many are pulling in tens of millions of dollars in revenue.
Minister for Gaming and Racing, David Harris, says radical changes to the gaming landscape will have a major economic impact. Credit: Nikki Short
The findings, quietly published earlier this year, were highlighted at budget estimates on Tuesday as the NSW government comes under increasing pressure to respond to the recommendations made by the Independent Panel on Gambling Reform in December.
NSW residents lost $2.3 billion on poker machines in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 8.7 per cent when compared to the same period last year, government data released on Friday shows.
The Independent Panel on Gaming Reform recommended the removal of exemptions to the shutd
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