Despite a small year-on-year increase, the significant monthly pokies losses in July 2025 have ignited a new round of public concern and political debate.
According to new data, Tasmanians lost nearly $18.5 million on poker machines in July, a figure described as a “clanging alarm bell” by independent MLC Meg Webb and the “largest amount lost in a month since August 2020” by Greens’ spokesperson Vica Bayley.
Both politicians point to the well-documented social harms of gambling addiction, including financial stress, crime and mental ill-health and are calling for the reinstatement of a mandatory pre-commitment pokies card. They accuse the Liberal and Labor parties of abandoning the promised reform due to pressure from the pokies industry, which they note has had a history of donating to both parties.
Media release – Meg Webb, independent MLC for Nelson, 2 September 2025
July Pokies Losses of $600,000 per Day Demand Urgent Action
Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb today described the monthly July pokies losses, totalling almost $18.5 million, as a clanging alarm bell demanding urgent action.
“Tasmanians lost almost $18.5 million on pokies over the month of July alone, which is almost $600,000 lost each day,” Webb said.
“This extremely high monthly loss figure is on top of the annual losses for 2024-25 which totalled $193,908,165, a decade high level of poker machine losses from the Tasmanian community.
““Half the pokies losses come from people addicted to the machines.
“The harm causes ripples out into our community – breaking families, causing crime, homelessness and mental ill-health. This can be prevented with straightforward, evidence-based measures, like a pokies card.
“Labor and Liberal cannot keep turning a blind eye as these shocking community losses continue to grow. This harm is a direct result of their policy collusion and kowtowing to the pokies barons over the public interest.
“Tasmanians cannot afford for this alarm bell to be ignored. We can take action, and we can take it swiftly.
“In the current power-sharing House of Assembly, if the Rockliff Government continues to abrogate its responsibilities to the community, all it would take is for Labor to work with the cross bench and reinstate the promised mandatory pre-commitment pokies card.”
Ms Webb said the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission was well down the path of developing the mandatory pokies pre-commitment card when the Liberals backflipped on their implementation commitment earlier this year.
“However, the Commission is still in a position to pick up this work and continue it – all we need is the go-ahead from the Treasurer.
“Shamefully, Tasmania’s nation-leading pokies mandatory pre-commitment card was abandoned by the Rockliff Government to curry favour with the vested interests of the pokies industry, which are major donors to the Liberal and Labor Parties.
“Both the Rockliff Government and the Labor Opposition were happy to abandon implementation of our nation-leading mandatory pokies card, but with this clear evidence of increasing harm to Tasmanians, they must rethink their responsibilities, prioritise the community and reinstate the life-saving pokies card reforms.”
Media release – Vica Bayley MP, Greens Treasury and Finance Spokesperson, 2 September 2025
Tasmanians Increasingly Losing to Pokies
New Treasury data shows that Tasmanians lost $18.4 million to electronic gaming machines in July 2025 – the largest amount lost in a month since August 2020. In the knowledge that these losses come at a social cost to everyday Tasmanians and their families, the Liberal Government must recommit to implementing its promised pokies pre-commitment card.
It’s shocking to see that Tasmanians lost more to poker machines in July than any other month in the last five years. The $3 million increase in pokies losses between June and July of this year is a further indictment on the pokies industry and the inaction of government.
Pokies losses cause devastating harm to Tasmanians and their families, including financial stress, domestic violence, increased crime and tragically at times, suicide.
The Liberals promised to implement a nation-leading mandatory pre-commitment card to address poker machine harm. But last year the Rockliff Government walked away from that promise, in a shocking betrayal of vulnerable Tasmanians that was driven by donors from the pokies industry.
Only two months ago, the Premier backtracked even further, saying the government wouldn’t implement a pokies pre-commitment card until there was a national approach. With pokies harm only growing, Tasmanians cannot wait for other states and territories to get their act together. We must make change now.
As the next Parliament is set to resume, we call on the Premier: lead this government with the heart you promised. Fix your broken promise to Tasmanians. Re-commit to implementing a pre-commitment card for Tasmanians struggling with poker machine losses and the tragedies that come with it.
Gaming machine player expenditure figures updated monthly (in arrears) by the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission
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