Data reveals worst SA poker machine hotspots by suburb

This is where South Australians have lost $195 million on pokies. Search and check our interactive table to see if it’s where you live and how your suburb compares.

The city of Salisbury and Port Adelaide Enfield in Adelaide’s north have been revealed as South Australia’s slot machine hotspots, with pokies costing punters more than $195 million in the last financial year.

The metropolitan Adelaide areas as of June last year housed 1848 electronic gaming machines across its pubs and clubs, accounting for more than 15 per cent of the state total according to the South Australian government’s Consumer and Business Services.

Punters across the state fed just shy of $956m into its 11,706 poker machines last financial year, with losses predominantly localised to the state’s capital of Adelaide.

The local government area of Playford, also in Adelaide’s north had the highest losses per machine, with the average pub or club pokie swallowing more than $148m last financial year.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform’s Chief Advocate Tim Costello, said cashless cards were the key for state governments seeking to address the harms of gambling addiction, as it “allows you to lock in your losses before you’re in front of a hypnotising machine.”

Facial recognition was mandated by the South Australian government in 2022 for venues with 30 or more gaming machines.

However Mr Costello described the technology as a “crock”.

“Trusting pubs and clubs with facial recognition and the data to self-exclude or intervene is like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank,” he said.

The city of Salisbury and Port Adelaide Enfield in Adelaide’s north have been revealed as South Australia’s slot machine hotspots. Picture: Supplied

The Victorian parliament just last month established a framework for carded play, and required all new machines to have a slower spin rate.

A trial of cashless gaming set for the coming months was postponed, however, following the NSW government’s 2024 trial which was lambasted after only 14 of the 243 participants were determined to have actively participated in the scheme.

“Minns promised a trial of the technology and turned it into a trial of whether the punters liked it … It’s like trialling plain packaging to see if smokers prefer it. It’s ridiculous,” he said.

“Because Victoria’s broke, they looked at the revenue coming in from pokies and they said state coffers need it, you know if there’s reform there will be less revenue, so they postponed the trial.”

The Duke of Enmore pub in Sydney has removed poker machines in favour of other ways to create revenue. The pokie space is now set for live bands and entertainment. Picture: Supplied

But while state governments stall on gambling reform, some venues have ripped out electronic gaming machines entirely, like Sydney’s Odd Culture hospitality group.

The outfit which now operates 5 venues across Sydney, including the Old Fitzroy Hotel and the Duke of Enmore, has a strict no pokies policy.

Odd Culture’s Entertainment and operations Manager Sabrina Medcalf, said while the decision meant a “slower burn” for revenue, it was “sustainable, ethical and therefore quite rewarding”.

“We’ve never relied on pokies ever to drive revenue … instead we’re now able to have live gigs, trivia and jazz nights, wine tastings, and theatre performances,” she said.

“From the outset our philosophy has been, you know, pretty clear. Our venues are places of connection and creativity and culture.”

The Australian Hotels Association and Clubs Australia were contacted for comment.

Anybody negatively affected by gambling can contact Gambler’s Help for free and confidential online, phone and face-to-face services. Call 1800 858 858 (24/7) or visit gamblershelp.com.au

Originally published as Data reveals worst SA poker machine hotspots by suburb