Queensland — The National Data Publisher
📊 Queensland Publishes Australia's National Gambling Statistics
The Queensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO) compiles and publishes the definitive Australian Gambling Statistics report — the single most important national gambling dataset in the country. Now in its 40th edition (released September 2025, covering 1998–99 to 2023–24), it is compiled annually in co-operation with all state and territory governments and covers turnover, expenditure, tax revenue and product share for every jurisdiction. Every statistic cited in national reporting — from AIHW to the Grattan Institute to this site — ultimately traces back to the QGSO dataset.
Queensland therefore plays a dual role: it is both a significant gambling jurisdiction in its own right and the steward of Australia's most authoritative gambling data. The annual report is publicly available and free to download at qgso.qld.gov.au.
Queensland is Australia's third-largest gambling market by total losses, behind New South Wales and Victoria. With over 5 million adults and a large tourism economy driven by Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Cairns, the state generates substantial gambling revenue across all product types. Pokies in hotels and clubs account for the largest share, followed by lotteries, wagering and casino gaming. In 2022–23, total gambling losses reached $6.1 billion — a 36% increase from 2018–19 — and the trend has continued upward since. The Queensland Audit Office's 2024 performance audit found Queenslanders had lost over $25 billion to gambling across just five years.
Electronic Gaming Machine Data
The Queensland Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) publishes bi-annual gambling statistical summaries covering player spend, tax revenue and EGM data. The most recent summary (July–December 2024) shows 43,655 total EGMs operating across 1,035 sites.
| Venue Type | EGMs (June 2024) | Sites | Player Spend (Jan–Jun 2024) | Tax Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels | 19,103 | 685 | $735M (23% of total) | Up to 35% on profit |
| Clubs | 20,928 | 346 | $945M (29% of total) | Up to 35% on profit (with community benefit offset) |
| Casinos | 3,624 | 4 | $361M (11% of total) | Casino-specific rates |
| Total EGMs | 43,655 | 1,035 | $2,041M (EGMs only, H1 2024) | ~$0.85B annually |
Source: OLGR Gambling Statistical Summary, January–June 2024.
Queensland is notable for having the second-largest concentration of pub and club EGMs in Australia after New South Wales, but its per-machine regulation differs significantly. Queensland introduced a mandatory minimum 3-second spin rate — the same rate Victoria is now phasing in — and enforces a maximum $50 load-up per spin across hotels and clubs, making it one of the earlier adopters of session-pace harm minimisation measures.
Gambling Losses by Product
QLD gambling player spend by product, Jan–Jun 2024. Source: OLGR.
QLD total gambling losses AUD billions, 2018–19 to 2022–23. Source: QAO / OLGR.
| Product | Losses (2022–23) | Share | Tax Revenue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokies (Hotel + Club + Casino EGMs) | $3.22B | 63.2% | ~$700M+ | Dominant product; highest share of any product nationally |
| Casino (table games) | ~$800M | ~13% | Casino-specific | The Star Brisbane + The Star Gold Coast; both under regulatory review |
| Lotteries | $642M | ~10.5% | ~$490M (76%+ effective rate) | The Lottery Corporation (Golden Casket brand in QLD) |
| Sports Betting (wagering) | $314M | ~5.1% | 15% POCT on net revenue >$150K | Growing strongly; POCT commenced 2018 |
| Keno | ~$230M | ~3.8% | Included in lottery levies | Lottery Corporation; fast-draw; venue-based predominantly |
| Total | $6.1B+ | 100% | ~$1.9B | Up 36% from 2018–19; QAO: "substantial increase in recent years" |
Sources: QAO Performance Audit 2024; OLGR Statistical Summary; QGSO 40th Edition.
Regional Breakdown — Losses by Area
Queensland's OLGR publishes monthly EGM expenditure data by LGA, and the QGSO annual report includes a regional breakdown of gambling losses. The data shows significant variation across the state, with some regional and remote communities recording dramatically higher per-capita losses than the state average — a pattern the QAO 2024 audit specifically flagged as a concern for harm minimisation policy.
Regional EGM data is approximate, based on OLGR Jul–Dec 2022 summary data (most recent with full regional breakdown). Per-adult figures are based on total adult resident population and will understate losses among active gamblers. Source: OLGR Queensland.
The Star Entertainment — Queensland's Casino Crisis
Queensland hosts two of The Star Entertainment Group's three Australian casino properties — The Star Gold Coast and The Star Brisbane (formerly Treasury Casino). Both have been swept up in The Star's catastrophic regulatory and financial crisis, which began with the New South Wales Bergin Inquiry in 2022 and has since metastasised into a company-wide collapse.
The Star Gold Coast
Broadbeach, Gold Coast · Formerly Jupiters Casino
The Star Brisbane
Queen's Wharf, Brisbane CBD · Opened August 2024
The Star Brisbane opened in August 2024 as part of the $3.6 billion Queen's Wharf Brisbane integrated resort — a joint venture between The Star and international partners Far East Consortium and Chow Tai Fook. The opening was extraordinary in its timing: The Star launched its flagship new property while its Queensland casino licences remained suspended on a deferred basis, with a special manager overseeing its operations. On 27 March 2025, the Queensland Government confirmed that The Star's casino licences would remain suspended until at least 30 September 2026, extended from the prior deadline of 30 September 2025, following a special manager's report delivered in February 2025.
The Star's financial position is dire. With only AUD $79 million in available cash at the end of 2024 — down $107 million in three months — and market capitalisation collapsed from over $3 billion to under $500 million, the company's long-term viability as a going concern has been openly questioned in financial markets. The Queensland properties represent significant ongoing liabilities in this context, not revenue generators. For a full analysis, see our Casino in Australia page.
Gaming Tax Rates in Queensland
Queensland's EGM taxation uses a tiered system based on annual gaming machine profit, with different scales for hotels and clubs. The state introduced a Point of Consumption Betting Tax (PCBT) in late 2018, which now runs at 15% on net wagering revenue over $150,000 — matching the rates of Victoria and South Australia following their increases.
Hotel EGM Tax (annual profit)
- Up to $23,000Nil
- $23,001 – $100,00026%
- $100,001 – $500,00029%
- $500,001 – $1,000,00032%
- Over $1,000,00035%
Club EGM Tax (annual profit)
- Up to $100,000Nil
- $100,001 – $500,00025%
- $500,001 – $1,000,00030%
- $1,000,001 – $5,000,00035%
- Over $5,000,00035% + community benefit levy
Queensland also levies a supervision levy on casino licensees (introduced 2024) to cover the cost of casino regulation and gambling harm minimisation programs — a mechanism borrowed from the post-royal commission reform frameworks in other states. This ensures that the cost of regulating The Star's Queensland properties — substantial given the special manager arrangement — is borne by the operator rather than taxpayers.
Point of Consumption Betting Tax
Queensland introduced a Point of Consumption Betting Tax (PCBT) in late 2018, becoming one of the earlier adopters of this model. The tax applies to all licensed bookmakers accepting wagers from Queensland residents, regardless of where the operator is licensed. Key parameters:
- Rate: 15% of net wagering revenue from Queensland residents
- Threshold: Applies to net revenue exceeding $150,000 per financial year
- Scope: All Australian-licensed operators (including those licensed through the NT)
- Revenue: Estimated $286 million in actual tax revenue for 2023–24 (Budget Strategy)
- Administration: Office of State Revenue, Queensland Treasury
Regulation and Reform in Queensland
Queensland's gambling regulatory framework is administered by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR), a division of the Department of Justice. Casino regulation falls under a separate framework that has been substantially reformed since 2022 following the Gotterson Review of The Star's Queensland operations.
Key Reforms Since 2022
- October 2022: Queensland government issued its response to the Gotterson Review. New legislation allowed fines up to $100 million and appointment of a special manager — powers used almost immediately against The Star in December 2022.
- March 2024: Casino Control and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 passed — requiring mandatory carded play and pre-commitment at all Queensland casinos, with restrictions on cash use. Supervision levy introduced for casino licensees.
- July 2024: Advanced Responsible Conduct of Gambling training became mandatory for all Responsible Gambling Officers. All venues with gaming machines required to maintain a Gambling Incident Register. Prohibition on ATM/EFTPOS cash withdrawals above a set limit introduced.
- September 2024: All venues with gaming machines required to maintain a Gaming Plan of Management.
- 2024–25 Budget: $7.8 million allocated to Gambling Help Queensland — the state's primary problem gambling support service. The QAO noted this represents 0.6% of gambling tax revenue.
Harm Minimisation on EGMs
Queensland has introduced several EGM-specific harm minimisation measures that place it ahead of NSW in some respects, though behind Victoria's mandatory carded play framework:
- Mandatory minimum 3-second spin rate — one of the first states to mandate this, pre-dating Victoria's December 2025 requirement
- Maximum $50 note acceptance per feed (restricting high-denomination cash insertion)
- Mandatory 3am–10am venue closures (similar to Victoria's reform)
- Monthly EGM expenditure data published by LGA — among the most transparent state datasets
- Cashless gaming at casinos required under 2024 legislation; pub/club cashless gaming not yet mandated
Gambling Harm in Queensland
The Queensland Audit Office's February 2024 performance audit — Minimising Gambling Harm — provided the most comprehensive state-level analysis of Queensland gambling harm since the 2013 prevalence study. Its key findings were sobering.
- Queenslanders lost $25.2 billion to gambling over five years (2018–19 to 2022–23)
- Total losses grew 36% from $4.5 billion to $6.1 billion over that period
- Pokies accounted for 63.2% of all gambling losses — the highest product concentration of any state
- Queensland had the highest gambling participation rate of any state at 70.2% of adults
- Remote regions including Torres Shire and Queensland Outback record some of the highest per-capita EGM losses and problem gambling rates in the country
- Gambling Help Queensland supported thousands of Queenslanders annually but the QAO found demand consistently exceeded the service's funded capacity
- The department had not completed a gambling prevalence study since 2013 — over a decade — making real-time harm assessment essentially impossible
