Pokies losses › New South Wales › Wollongong
Pokies losses in Wollongong
Wollongong, 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
$204.9 million
That's $561,268 a day, or $955 for every resident in Wollongong.
- Machines
- 2,704
- Venues
- 63
- Lost per machine
- $75,763 a year
- Residents per machine
- 79
Against the rest of New South Wales
Wollongong loses less per resident than the NSW average. It's 85% of the average. Out of the 49 New South Wales areas with figures of their own, it's the 23rd highest.
Losses per resident a year, counting everyone who lives there (all ages, 2021 Census).
Hotels and clubs
- Clubs: $137.0 million from 2,136 machines in 34 venues
- Hotels: $67.9 million from 568 machines in 29 venues
A year's rent for
5,880 households
The $204.9 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 Wollongong, which was $670 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 $955 lost per resident in a year. Put it into savings a bit each week instead, and it grows to:
- After 5 years
- $5,283
- After 10 years
- $11,734
- After 20 years
- $29,237
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 Wollongong
- Orange $981 per resident
- Port Stephens $961 per resident
- Inner West $954 per resident
- Kempsey $944 per resident
More about living in Wollongong
See the rent people pay in Wollongong and the crime police record there, next to these pokies losses. Living in Wollongong
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.