Pokie Profits fall by 13.6%

By Annette Shailer and Ian Neubauer

Source: www.theshout.com.au

Profits from poker machines in NSW pubs fell $231 million in the 2007-08 financial compared to the previous 12 months as a result of the introduction of smoking bans and the economic downturn.

Tabulated in the annual report of the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, the figure represents a 13.6 per cent reduction in profits and has cost the sector thousands of jobs.

The report also showed 36 pubs that reported profits from poker machines in previous years reported no profit at all - a percentage of which can be attributed to the sale of poker machine licenses by rural pubs to venues in urban areas.