Bad news for players is good news for clubs and hotels in New South Wales as they recorded massive profits from the over $630 million lost on pokie in November 2021.
The majority of this revenue was generated by Sydney’s west and southwestern suburbs as players from Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Cumberland and Blacktown local government racked up the largest losses.
According to data from the NSW Liquor and Gaming, gaming machine profits for November 2021 came in at $631,224,889 with venues in Canterbury-Bankstown pulling in a total net profit of over $56 million while Fairfield recorded over $52 million. Cumberland also fared very well, reporting a $35 million net profit with Blacktown and Sydney following with amounts of $28 million and $27 million, respectively.
NSW Pokies Enquiry Looms
The New South Wales Crime Commission has announced that it is gearing up to hold an inquiry into allegations of poker machine money laundering.
NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello has been met with support in his long-running efforts to establish this inquiry and Commissioner Michael Barnes advised that the commission would be investigating to what extent crime syndicates are involved.
“We know pubs and clubs deliver valuable community services and are assured ClubsNSW, the peak body for the industry, is committed to stamping out illegality. However, we expect the expert investigators, data analysts, lawyers and intelligence officers working on this project to uncover activities not previously known to operators or regulators that will assist to ensure pubs and clubs stay profitable while the community is protected,” Dominello said.
Covert Findings
The New South Wales government conducted a recent secret audit of two pokies venues and discovered multiple suspicious transactions. The investigation that followed the audit examined individual gaming machine transactions of five licensed venues that sought to identify suspicious activity. In preparation for the inquiry, the Commission has called for submissions relating to money laundering in licensed venues in NSW, targeting members of the public, subject experts, and existing or past employees of gambling venues. Submissions will be accepted until January 28.
If necessary, the NSW Crime Commission intends to employ the full extent of its powers, including compulsory hearings and phone tapping, to discover the truth behind the allegations.
Commissioner Michael Barnes, in an uncharacteristic move for his secretive agency, has reached out to the public, saying,
“As part of the inquiry, the commission is calling for submissions regarding the nature and extent of money laundering through licensed venues in NSW.
“Members of the public, academics with an interest in the area, current or past employees of pubs or clubs are invited to make submissions which can be kept confidential if desired.”
