Labor to run on 'anti-gambling' platform in NSW state election

NSW Labor is not afraid to take on some of the most serious social issues should it win the upcoming state elections in March. The Australian Labor Party is willing to trial cashless gaming cards and ban clubs from making political donations should it come to power after the ballot counting finishes.

NSW Labor proposes a 12-month period that will properly assess whether gaming cards are truly helpful or, to the contrary, they hurt businesses without achieving meaningful solutions. Cashless cards are touted as a surefire way to uproot money laundering that could be running in the billions of dollars across NSW clubs, turning them into money-laundering dens instead, a popular argument goes.

NSW Labor’s "anti-gambling" platform is well thought-through, and it’s a risky but important issue to take on. Among the other proposals the party has is to ban "signage advertising poker machines outside venues," the Goulburn Post reported.

The party also predicts the introduction of an expanded self-exclusion program and further push efforts for the implementation of facial recognition solutions that will be incorporated as part of the register to help keep vulnerable gamblers out of harm’s way in the long term.

Chris Minns, NSW Labor leader, has debated these issues with the government but has decided to push ahead with a comprehensive plan as part of the party’s reelection campaign. According to Minns, there are serious issues when it comes to money laundering and problem gambling, and pokies in particular.

This is why Labor will try to address the matter as quickly and efficiently as it can. Despite the enthusiasm, Minns has warned in the past as well that any changes must be done with an evidence-based approach. Dominic Perrottet, the current Premier of New South Wales, has been a vociferous critic of the status quo in gambling.

He, though, blames much of the current predicament on previous Labor governance. In fact, Perrottet is convinced that much of the current trouble stems from the ruling of former NSW Labor leader Bob Carr who pretty much made it possible for poker machines to appear on every corner.

Clubs are uneasy about the prospect of having Labor win this one, though, as the 12-month cashless gaming card trial period is definitely something they fear. However, the approach proposed by Labor is not high-handed in the slightest. Rather, the test will focus on around 500 machines and not all venues will run the trial.

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