“Minister for Closing Clubs”? Inside the ACT Poker Machine Reforms

Australian Capital Territory (ACT) poker machine reforms unveiled this week are being called nation-leading by harm-reduction advocates and a threat to community clubs by the opposition, sometimes in the same breath. The package would cut poker machine numbers to 1,000 by 2045, ban electronic funds transfer at point of sale (EFTPOS) and automated teller machine (ATM) cash withdrawals at gaming venues, and extend mandatory shutdown hours.

Gaming Minister Marisa Paterson says it’s about giving people a break from the pokies floor, not shutting clubs down. It’s already dominating Australian gambling news this week. The opposition isn’t so sure. Here’s what’s actually in the plan, and why almost every stakeholder has a different complaint about it.

Key Insights: The ACT Poker Machine Reforms

• The ACT Government’s reform package would cut poker machine numbers to 1,000 by 2045, down from current levels, at a rate of roughly 500 per parliamentary term.
• EFTPOS and ATM cash withdrawals would be banned at venues with poker machines, alongside a move to cashless, account-based gaming.
• Mandatory poker machine shutdown hours would extend by 15 hours a week, though weekend hours remain unchanged despite an earlier commitment to lengthen them.
• Opposition Leader Mark Parton warns Minister Marisa Paterson risks becoming known as “the minister for closing clubs,” while ClubsACT is calling for evidence and a funded transition plan.
• The Greens and gambling reform advocates are split: Tim Costello of the Alliance for Gaming Reform calls it nation-leading, while ACT Greens spokeswoman Rebecca Vassarotti says it doesn’t go far enough.

What’s Actually in the ACT Poker Machine Reforms?

The package covers several distinct changes rather than a single measure:

• A legislated cut to poker machine numbers, bringing the territory down to around 1,000 machines by 2045, reduced at a rate of about 500 per term of government.
• A ban on EFTPOS and ATM cash withdrawals at venues with poker machines, removing easy access to extra cash mid-session.
• A shift toward cashless, account-based gaming, which Minister Paterson says still requires the EFTPOS and ATM changes, since players would otherwise simply load their gaming cards with fresh cash on the spot.
• Extended shutdown hours, adding 15 hours a week to the mandatory closure period, positioned as the longest average weekly shutdown of any Australian jurisdiction.
• A simplified, improved self-exclusion system, alongside a joint clubs transition governance group to help venues adapt.

Clubs would also be able to propose rezoning their land under a major plan amendment this term, provided it doesn’t reduce community facilities available to Canberrans.

Why the Opposition Is Pushing Back

Opposition Leader Mark Parton didn’t reject the reforms outright, but drew a clear line on specific measures:

• He broadly supports reducing poker machine numbers and isn’t opposed to longer weeknight shutdowns.
• He specifically questioned the ATM removal and EFTPOS withdrawal ban, warning that “any problem gambler is just going to go straight to Queanbeyan anyway,” referring to a nearby New South Wales (NSW) border town with its own gaming venues.
• His broader concern is economic: lost venue revenue, lost local jobs, and reduced community contributions if clubs can’t adapt.

Minister Paterson rejected the framing directly, telling the Assembly the reforms are “not a prohibition” and that Canberrans “will still be able to play a poker machine in the ACT” for decades under the phased timeline.

Why ClubsACT Wants More Detail Before Signing On

ClubsACT, the peak body representing community clubs across the territory, isn’t opposing harm reduction as a goal. Its concerns are procedural and financial:

• It wants published evidence and targets underpinning the specific measures chosen, rather than headline numbers alone.
• It’s asking for a combined financial impact assessment, covering how EFTPOS bans, ATM removal, and machine cuts interact rather than being assessed in isolation.
• It wants a funded transition plan, not just a “governance group,” given clubs currently rely on gaming revenue to fund community programs.

ClubsACT chief executive Craig Shannon summed up the sector’s position bluntly: clubs “are not a magic pudding,” and community benefits like sports sponsorship and respite spaces during extreme weather don’t survive automatically if gaming revenue disappears without a transition plan behind it.

Why Some Reform Advocates Say It Doesn’t Go Far Enough

Not every harm-reduction voice is celebrating. The ACT Greens’ gambling spokeswoman, Rebecca Vassarotti, raised two specific objections:

• Pace, not direction, is the problem. She noted that poker machine numbers have already fallen in recent years while poker machine revenue has continued to rise, suggesting machine counts alone won’t fix harm without other changes landing faster.
• A broken shutdown-hours promise. Vassarotti says Chief Minister Andrew Barr previously agreed with the Greens, then in cabinet, to a longer weekend shutdown period than what’s now on the table.

Independent Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Thomas Emerson, whose separate push for a ban on gambling industry political donations we covered recently, broadly welcomed this package but raised the same pacing concern from a different angle, calling a reduction rate of 500 machines per term “painstakingly slow” given what he describes as strong community support for faster cuts.

What Happens Next

• The reform package still needs to pass through the ACT Legislative Assembly as legislation, not just a policy announcement.
• The joint clubs transition governance group is expected to begin work shaping practical support measures for affected venues.
• Clubs seeking to rezone land under the plan amendment will need to demonstrate no net loss of community facilities.
• Expect continued pressure from both directions: industry groups pushing for a funded transition plan, and reform advocates pushing for a faster timeline than 2045.

The Bottom Line on the ACT Poker Machine Reforms

The ACT poker machine reforms manage the unusual feat of drawing criticism from almost every direction at once: too aggressive for the opposition and clubs sector, not aggressive enough for the Greens and some reform advocates. That’s often a sign a policy has found a genuine middle ground, or a sign it’s satisfied nobody.

Minister Paterson is betting on the former, backed by praise from the Alliance for Gaming Reform. Whether Canberra’s clubs sector can adapt on the proposed timeline, without the closures the opposition is warning about, will likely become clear long before the reforms fully phase in by 2045.

More AU Gambling Coverage

This story follows directly from our earlier coverage of the ACT gambling industry donations ban debate involving the same independent MLA. Keep up with all our latest Australian gambling news as the ACT reforms move through the Legislative Assembly.

Responsible Gambling: What Actually Changes for Players

Strip away the political back-and-forth, and a few of these measures do change the practical experience of playing pokies in the ACT:

• Losing easy access to extra cash mid-session is designed to create a natural pause point, rather than letting a bad run continue uninterrupted with a quick ATM withdrawal.
• Longer shutdown periods mean less overnight and early-morning access to machines, when impulsive or fatigued decision-making is more likely.
• A simplified self-exclusion system could make it genuinely easier for someone to opt themselves out, if the improvements match what’s been promised.

None of these measures replace your own decisions, though. If you’re finding it hard to stick to a budget, responsible gambling tools like deposit and time limits are worth setting up now, rather than waiting for a 2045 deadline to do the work for you.

ACT Poker Machine Reforms: Quick-Fire FAQs

How many poker machines will the ACT have after the reforms?

The ACT Government’s plan would reduce poker machine numbers to around 1,000 by 2045, cut at a rate of roughly 500 machines per parliamentary term.

Will ATMs and EFTPOS be banned at all ACT clubs?

The reforms specifically ban ATM and EFTPOS cash withdrawals at venues with poker machines, as part of a broader shift toward cashless, account-based gaming.

Is the ACT Government banning poker machines completely?

No. Minister Marisa Paterson has said the reforms are not a prohibition, and poker machines will remain legal in the ACT throughout the phased reduction period to 2045.

Why is the opposition calling Marisa Paterson the “minister for closing clubs”?

Opposition Leader Mark Parton used the phrase to warn that combined machine cuts, cash restrictions, and reduced operating hours could hurt club revenue enough to force closures, a claim the minister has rejected.

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