THREE hundred NSW hotels have applied to defer payment of $18.6 million tax on gambling machine revenue, which has plummeted since an indoor smoking ban was introduced last year.

A hardship scheme that was available only to registered clubs suffering more than a 15 per cent downturn in poker machine revenue was extended to pubs in September.

The eligible hotels have experienced an average 24.5 per cent decline in gambling machine revenue in the 12 months to September, compared with the 12 months before the smoking ban came into force. The average drop across the state’s 2084 hotels was 12.58 per cent.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald.  Link

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