Pokies losses › New South Wales › Newcastle
Pokies losses in Newcastle
Newcastle, 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
$199.5 million
That's $546,482 a day, or $1,181 for every resident in Newcastle.
- Machines
- 2,699
- Venues
- 81
- Lost per machine
- $73,904 a year
- Residents per machine
- 63
Against the rest of New South Wales
Newcastle loses about the NSW average per resident. Out of the 49 New South Wales areas with figures of their own, it's the 9th highest.
Losses per resident a year, counting everyone who lives there (all ages, 2021 Census).
Hotels and clubs
- Clubs: $113.3 million from 1,818 machines in 28 venues
- Hotels: $86.1 million from 881 machines in 53 venues
A year's rent for
5,812 households
The $199.5 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 Newcastle, which was $660 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 $1,181 lost per resident in a year. Put it into savings a bit each week instead, and it grows to:
- After 5 years
- $6,535
- After 10 years
- $14,516
- After 20 years
- $36,169
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 Newcastle
- Queanbeyan-Palerang $1,206 per resident
- Tweed $1,191 per resident
- Ryde $1,169 per resident
- Parramatta $1,154 per resident
More about living in Newcastle
See the rent people pay in Newcastle and the crime police record there, next to these pokies losses. Living in Newcastle
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.