Number of poker and gaming machines

IBISWorld forecasts the number of poker and gaming machines to decline by 0.4% in 2024-25, to total 184,684 machines. The fall in the number of electronic gaming machines in Australia follows its long-term trend, primarily due to regulation that caps the total number of operational machines. Gaming machine legislation varies in each state or territory, but broader legislation only permits approximately 200,000 machines throughout Australia. Rising public awareness of problem gambling has also led to various state governments capping or actively reducing their gaming machine numbers.

New South Wales accounts for the largest proportion of total gaming machines in Australia, which is estimated at close to 48% in the current year, with approximately 89,000 machines. While the number of gaming machines has increased over the past year in New South Wales, the government has expressed a desire to reduce machine numbers by 2000 over the next five years. The Northern Territory ranks second lowest behind New South Wales in terms of residents per gaming machine, at an estimated 100 residents per machine. Western Australia has the most restrictive gaming machine laws in Australia, as machines can only be operated in Crown Casino. As a result, Western Australia has the highest ratio of people per machine, with only one machine for every 1372 residents.

The number of electronic gaming machines installed in Australia has fallen over the past five years. The ongoing cap on the number of operational machines and continued pressure to reduce incidences of problem gambling have driven this decline. AFL clubs are also moving away from poker machines, with the Collingwood Magpies, Geelong Cats, Melbourne Demons and Western Bulldogs opting not to renew their poker machine licences from 2022. In July 2023, the Victorian government announced that it would force gamblers to set a binding limit on daily poker machine losses and venues would be forced to shut their gaming machines for at least six hours a day. The implementation of these reforms has contributed to the fall in gaming machine numbers. Overall, IBISWorld forecasts the number of poker and gaming machines in Australia to decline at a compound annual rate of 0.5% over the five years through 2024-25.