Statement from Wesley Mission 15 September 2026
ACT acts on pokies reform. NSW must follow. The ACT has raised the bar on gambling reform, announcing mandatory account-based cashless gaming and putting pressure on the Minns Government to follow suit in NSW.
Wesley Mission says the ACT’s move shows real reform is possible and practical. There is no reason why NSW, by far Australia’s biggest poker machine state, should settle for woefully less than is necessary to rein in the epidemic of gambling harm across the state.
Wesley Mission CEO, Rev Stu Cameron, says the ACT’s announced reforms should be a wake-up call for NSW.
“The ACT has shown that mandatory account-based cashless gaming can be done and is a proportionate response in beginning to rein in gambling harm caused by pokies. This is exactly the direction the Minns Government should be taking in NSW.
“Voluntary account-based gambling will not deliver the protection people need or empower punters to control their own gambling spend. If we are serious about reducing gambling harm, safeguards need to apply to everyone, not just those who choose to opt in.
“Mandatory account-based gaming puts practical protections around how much people can lose and gives them a much clearer picture of their gambling. It puts control back in the hands of punters, not the addictive algorithms that power the pokies.
“The ACT’s requirement for a 15-minute break after an hour of continuous play is a good example of what account-based gambling makes possible. It builds a circuit-breaker into play rather than relying on someone in the grip of gambling to recognise when it is time to stop.
“NSW has the largest number of poker machines in the country and communities across our state continue to experience enormous gambling harm. We should be leading reform, not watching other jurisdictions move ahead of us.
“The ACT Labor Government is demonstrating the political will to take meaningful action. Premier Minns now must do the same. Mandatory account-based gambling should be the standard across every pub and club in NSW. The technology exists. The ACT is showing it can be done. What NSW needs now is the political will to do it.
“The ACT has not got every element of these reforms right, but it is having a crack at meaningful reform across the board. That is what governments should be doing – acting, testing what works and improving it, rather than announcing yet another review.”
