Pokies losses › New South Wales › Sydney
Pokies losses in Sydney
Sydney, 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
$406.5 million
That's $1.1 million a day, or $1,921 for every resident in Sydney.
- Machines
- 3,298
- Venues
- 162
- Lost per machine
- $123,261 a year
- Residents per machine
- 64
Against the rest of New South Wales
Sydney loses 1.7 times as much per resident as the NSW average. Out of the 49 New South Wales areas with figures of their own, it's the 5th highest.
Losses per resident a year, counting everyone who lives there (all ages, 2021 Census).
Hotels and clubs
- Clubs: $25.6 million from 351 machines in 6 venues
- Hotels: $380.9 million from 2,947 machines in 156 venues
A year's rent for
8,686 households
The $406.5 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 Sydney, which was $900 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 $1,921 lost per resident in a year. Put it into savings a bit each week instead, and it grows to:
- After 5 years
- $10,628
- After 10 years
- $23,607
- After 20 years
- $58,819
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 Sydney
- Canterbury-Bankstown $2,065 per resident
- Georges River $1,967 per resident
- Campbelltown $1,334 per resident
- Queanbeyan-Palerang $1,206 per resident
More about living in Sydney
See the rent people pay in Sydney and the crime police record there, next to these pokies losses. Living in Sydney
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.