Pokies losses › New South Wales › Lake Macquarie
Pokies losses in Lake Macquarie
Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. Every dollar on this page went into a poker machine and never came back. Here's how much, and what that money could have done instead.
Lost in a year
$168.1 million
That's $460,624 a day, or $786 for every resident in Lake Macquarie.
- Machines
- 2,463
- Venues
- 59
- Lost per machine
- $68,261 a year
- Residents per machine
- 87
Against the rest of New South Wales
Lake Macquarie loses less per resident than the NSW average. It's 70% of the average. Out of the 49 New South Wales areas with figures of their own, it's the 38th highest.
Losses per resident a year, counting everyone who lives there (all ages, 2021 Census).
Hotels and clubs
- Clubs: $102.1 million from 1,914 machines in 33 venues
- Hotels: $66.0 million from 549 machines in 26 venues
A year's rent for
4,755 households
The $168.1 million lost here in a year would pay a whole year's rent for that many households. That's at the median new lease in Lake Macquarie, which was $680 a week in the June quarter 2026.
Median weekly rent of new leases, all dwellings, from state rental bond data, over 52 weeks.
If it was saved instead
Take the $786 lost per resident in a year. Put it into savings a bit each week instead, and it grows to:
- After 5 years
- $4,350
- After 10 years
- $9,662
- After 20 years
- $24,075
That's at an example 4% interest. Check what your own spending could grow to.
How does a machine take this much? Have a go on the see-through pokie. It's a pretend machine that tells you what each spin really was, including the "wins" that pay back less than you bet. Or read how poker machines keep you playing.
Councils ranked close to Lake Macquarie
- Mid-Western Regional $857 per resident
- Cessnock $824 per resident
- Nambucca $749 per resident
- Waverley $740 per resident
More about living in Lake Macquarie
See the rent people pay in Lake Macquarie and the crime police record there, next to these pokies losses. Living in Lake Macquarie
About these figures
Net losses are what venues kept after paying out wins, over one year (clubs 2024–25, hotels 2024–25). Machine and venue numbers are counts at the end of that year.
Source: © State of New South Wales (Liquor & Gaming NSW), CC BY 4.0.
Do you play the pokies yourself? The spend check adds up what a normal week costs you, and the spending diary keeps a private tally.
If gambling is causing problems for you or someone you know, free and confidential help is there 24/7 from Gambling Help Online or on 1800 858 858. Here's how to spot the signs.