NSW Coalition government prepares for cashless gaming card

New South Wales pubs and clubs may soon all have cashless gaming systems in place should the Coalition win the upcoming election in March. This is what Dominic Perrottet, the current state premier, said over the weekend, revealing an ambitious plan to tackle problem gambling in the state and clamp down on illicit funds being channelled through ordinary slot machines, The Guardian reported.

The measure is pitched under a new $344m plan which intends to help tackle what is seen as serious societal ills. New South Wales is reportedly seeing a rise in the rates of money laundering that is conducted at venues that host poker machines, something that can be addressed swiftly by the introduction of cashless gaming as it would bring more transparency into the sector.

Cashless gaming would be as liberal as the Coalition imagines it to be, with players able to set their own loss limits for example. They would also be able to change these limits once per week, too. Perrottet and his allies are convinced that the new legislation would help New South Wales save lives and protect jobs, and also clean up the sector’s reputation, fending off criminals.

Previously, debates to have cashless gaming introduced have polarized businesses, with many arguing that installing cashless gaming or facial recognition in bars and pubs would feel patrons feel like criminals. However, public opposition towards gambling advertisements has been a barometer that customers are prepared to accept tougher measures that help protect vulnerable groups.

The funding for the pitched legislation is also supposed to help pubs and clubs address some of the main fears – the loss of revenue, but the Coalition is coming prepared, assuring parties that would be affected under the new plan that the government would support them as they transition towards new sources of revenue.

The government will also be allocating one-off funding to help with this transition. Meanwhile, Alliance for Gambling Reform advocate Tim Costello has called the proposed changes "pretty damn good," and has long called for more determined action against poker machines. Costello similarly argued that the state opposition should follow suit, turning to Chris Minns, the NSW Labor Party leader, and urging him to also embrace a cashless gaming card.

Costello said that there was a growing consensus amongst health practitioners, police commissioners, and other prominent social structures and individuals that a cashless gaming card is necessary. Those to oppose the measure are risking being stuck on the wrong side of history, Costello suggested.

In the meantime, NSW Labor has already agreed to pilot a cashless gaming card program at 500 machines should it win the upcoming elections, a slightly more tamed approach towards the industry which pubs and clubs may be more inclined to support.

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