Poker Machines

In reply to the Hon. R.A. SIMMS ().4 September 2025).

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries): The Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs has advised:

The Malinauskas government is committed to reducing gambling harm in South Australia by working to reduce the number of gaming machines that may be operated in South Australia to a number not exceeding 13,081.

South Australia already has some of the strongest regulations in the nation for gaming machine gambling, and the government has implemented a range of measures to reduce gambling harm from gaming machines including:

Take a Break campaign—a QR code where people can bar themselves from venues. 406 people have barred themselves since it launched in late 2024.

A new transparent open market-based trading system that has streamlined trading of gaming machine entitlements (GME) and is intended to stimulate trading activity aimed at bringing South Australia closer to achieving the statutory objective of reducing entitlements in the state to no more than 13,081.

We also have statewide automated risk monitoring of each session of play on a gaming machine, enabling gaming staff to be alerted if potential harmful behaviour is detected as well as mandated facial recognition technology for certain venues to enable gaming staff to identify persons who are barred from the gaming area of licensed premises.