Nearly 700 pokie machines venues across NSW will have to close their machines for at least six hours every night next year.
NSW Gaming Minister David Harris has cancelled all exemptions to mandated hours for gaming rooms as of March 31, 2026, meaning pokies will close from 4am-10am every day.
“… these changes are a continuation of measures we are making to protecting people in NSW who are experiencing harm,” he says.
“Following months of review, it is clear the 20-year-old variations enabling more than 670 clubs and pubs with gaming machines to operate outside mandated hours were no longer fit for purpose.
“I acted to revoke these variations and update the application process in a phased way so that venues can still make their case to vary their hours.”
He believes the decision will balance addressing gambling harm concerns while supporting the billions-dollar industry that employs more than 150,000 people.
The government says the six-hour shutdown is a harm minimisation measure intended to give pokie players a vital ‘break’ so they can get ‘out of the zone’ and go home.
WESLEY CALL ON POKIES
In October, Wesley Mission CEO Rev Stu Cameron says the change reflects what they have been calling for over the years.
“Nothing good happens in a pokies den at 3am in the morning,” he says.
“Every day we see people losing far more than money. They are losing marriages, housing, their mental health and hope while reform stays stuck in the slow lane.”
According to Wesley Mission, from April-June 2025 NSW lost $2.27 billion on poker machines ($24.8m every day or more than $1m every hour).
It says its research shows late-night gambling carries the highest risk of harm, with people more likely to lose control, chase losses and gamble in isolation while polling shows 78% of people in NSW want pokies closed from 12 midnight to 10am.
LAW REVIEWS
The government says a 2023 report on the impact of electronic gaming machines (EGM) on late night player behaviour showed 70.5% of those gambling from 4am-10am are high risk or moderate risk gamblers.
A 2024 review of shutdown hours by Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) found that at least six hours was needed for a shutdown, starting no later 4am.
The review found no evidence to justify changing the start time or extending the length of the shutdown hours.
The L&GNSW findings were referred to the Independent Panel for Gaming Reform which called for all exemptions to be cancelled with a transition period for venues.
Venues that believe they should keep the exemption will be able to argue their case but any exemption will be subject to tougher guidelines from the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority.
In Australia, Gambling Help Online is available on 1800 858 858 while the National Debt Helpline is at 1800 007 007. NSW residents can contact GambleAware.
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