• Hopes that Crown Sydney can change lawmakers’ minds on poker machines have been dashed by the NSW Premier
• The property has been trying to lobby MPs and expand its table games-only and high-roller offer-only by featuring poker machines
• Concerns about gambling-related harm and addiction have led the current government to be decisively against such a move

New South Wales will not allow Crown Sydney, a gambling major with ambitions of growing its offer, to feature poker machines, or slots as they are known in most of the rest of the world, on its gaming floors.

NSW does not intend to break with a 10-year-old precedent

The decision was confirmed by NSW Premier Chris Minnslast Friday, with the politician arguing against the possibility of Crown Sydney introducing slot games any time soon, citing various reasons, including fear of harming communities, increasing the levels of gambling harm, the impact on the broader industry, as well as the original contract which ruled out that the property would host poker machines in the foreseeable future.

Minns said that his government does not intend to break with a 10-year precedent and allow the Barangaroo casino to roll out such slot machines, pointing out that the original conditions clearly limited the property to table games only.

Table games were finally introduced in 2022, a year later after it was intended, because Crown Resorts faced regulatory scrutiny that put it on the back foot and eventually led to its acquisition by Blackrock, an investment fund.

Although Minns’ government does not intend to make any legislative amendments to change the status quo, it is still possible for another MP to draft and file a law that could eventually allow Crown Resorts to set up slot machines.

However, such efforts would be overshadowed by recent revelations that the company had been lobbying MPs to try and influence a favorable decision that would have allowed it to run with slot machines in the near future.

"This is a legislative imposition that's been put in place in the state for over a decade," Minns explained in a statement addressing the case. Crown Resorts’ attempt to add poker machines could be stemming from a more difficult operational landscape, as a drop in tourist visitors, as well as licensing challenges, have made it difficult to realize its original concept of a high-roller-only live casino destination.

A public inquiry in 2021 exposed anti-money laundering and other compliance breaches by the gambling major, which further compounded the project’s realization. This comes at a time when the public has been particularly skeptical of gambling in general.

Gambling harm is a huge part of the conversation in NSW

The NSW Auditor-General has issued a new report in which it lambasted the government for failing to enforce sufficient poker machine harm-reduction measures, meaning that any politician who tries to change the status quo would be seen as currying favors for the industry.

NSW has been moving forward with reforms, nevertheless, including the introduction of cash limits on gaming floors from the current AUD$5,000 to AUD$1,000.

As concerns continue to increase that poker machines are fueling a gambling addiction epidemic in New South Wales and across the nation, giving the nod to Crown Sydney’s gaming expansion ambitions remains a highly improbable outcome.

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