Powerful Labor mayor takes swing over ‘half-hearted’ NSW gambling reforms
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne has criticized the NSW government's gambling reforms as insufficient, calling for stricter measures against poker machine addiction. The government's current plan focuses on facial recognition and self-exclusion rather than the tax and machine-reduction reforms demanded by party members.
Why it matters
The debate over gambling reform is a major political issue in New South Wales, pitting public health advocates against the powerful club industry.
— 5:32pm , first published August 25, 2026 — 9:56am
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Share A A A A powerful Sydney Labor mayor has criticised the Minns government’s gambling reforms as a “half-hearted” attempt to deal with the poker machine addiction, and vowed to keep up the pressure on his own party before the 2027 election.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne’s comments came after Gaming Minister David Harris said the rollout of mandatory facial-recognition technology in pubs and clubs and a statewide gambling self-exclusion register means cutting the number of poker machines in the state would “make no difference at all”.
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