Cashless Poker Machines
Poker machines would become cashless and gamblers required to register and pre-load money to the card, which would operate in a similar way to Opal cards for public transport. Chair of the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority Philip Crawford said money laundering through machines was highlighted in the Bergin inquiry into Crown’s. Cashless poker machines could be the way forward for NSW pubs and clubs, with players required to register for a government-issued gambling card and pre-load money onto it. The card would be linked to the state’s exclusion register to block out self-excluded gamblers.
- The 2011 WSOP Championship Bracelet is displayed along with bundles of cash during the World Series of Poker Main Event final table at the Rio hotel-casino in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov.
- With vending machines, retail can be a 24/7 business. Advancements in vending machine technology give consumers the option to sip a cold drink or nibble on a snack wherever they are, even if there are no shops close. Consumers can pay quickly and conveniently when you introduce cashless payments with cashless vending systems.
- The government is seeking to move to cashless poker machines and require players to register for a government-issued gambling card in the most sweeping gaming reforms in the state’s history. One Nation leader Mark Latham, who has previously revealed his father Don’s gambling problem, has backed the proposal, warning problem gambling was a serious health issue crippling families.
A move to introduce cashless poker machines across NSW has been welcomed by anti-gambling advocates, despite concerns that gamblers using a pre-loaded card could lose the sense they were forking out 'real' money.
The state government is proposing reforms that would require poker machine gamblers to register and pre-load money to a government-issued card, which would operate in a similar way to the cashless Opal cards for the public transport network.
The card would be linked to the state's exclusion register to prevent it from being used by thousands of self-excluded gamblers.
The state's clubs were surprised by the proposal on Saturday. However, the Alliance for Gambling Reform's chief advocate, Tim Costello, said the scheme indicated the NSW government 'seems to have finally recognised the immense damage poker machines do in the state'.
'It is immensely encouraging to have a minister responsible for gambling in NSW seeking significant reform to support people experiencing issues with gambling, and also speaking about the harms poker machines do in what is effectively the non-casino pokies capital of the world.'
The group was waiting for more information on how the card scheme would work, but Mr Costello said: 'Our main concern would be if people lost the sense of losing 'real' money if everything was digital, but this could be overcome with the right design and functionality.
'The government must look at safeguards to ensure there are no unintended consequences that increase harms.'
Senior cabinet minister Victor Dominello, who has responsibility for gambling, has crossbench support in the upper house for the proposed changes, including from the Greens and One Nation's Mark Latham, to ensure the new laws can pass.
The gambling card was not included in the draft bill, but Mr Dominello has been consulting widely with his colleagues and MPs from all parties to shore up support for it.
A ClubsNSW spokeswoman said on Saturday the proposal for a cashless gambling scheme had not been mentioned in the draft legislation and 'appears to have caught everyone by surprise'.
'ClubsNSW looks forward to the opportunity to engage with the NSW government in a constructive and respectful manner.'
A spokesman for The Star casino at Pyrmont said the organisation looked 'forward to engaging with government on the detail of what has been mentioned'.
The NSW Australian Hotels Association declined to comment. Labor gaming spokeswoman Sophie Cotsis did not respond to requests for comment.
ClubsNSW and the hotels association have previously criticised the draft harm minimisation legislation, saying that measures such as facial recognition would cost the industry millions of dollars when it was already under additional pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Dominello said NSW had the unenviable title of the 'poker machine capital of Australia' and he was determined to use technology to bring the $6 billion gaming machine industry into the 21st century.
By Megan Gorrey and Alexandra Smith
The state of New South Wales (NSW) is set to fully move to cashless pokies. Apart from that, players will be required to sign in for a special gambling card issued by the Government as part of what has been described as the most significant gaming reform in the history of the state.
The aforementioned changes will basically mean that local gamblers will be required to register to the service and pre-load money to the Government-issued card that would operate pretty much like the NSW’s cashless Opal cards that are used in the public transport network. Moreover, the card would be connected to the exclusion register of the state, under which thousands of people were able to ban themselves from gambling services. It would be the Privacy Commissioner that would be engaged in designing and overseeing the cards.
Victor Dominello, the senior cabinet minister who is responsible for gambling, has received cross-bench support for the proposed changes in the Upper House, including from Mark Latham from One Nation and the Greens. Their support would make sure the proposed legislation changes can pass without facing serious hurdles on their way.
For the time being, there are 95,000 poker machines in the state of New South Wales, which bring AU$1 billion in state taxes on an annual basis. They have created about 100,000 jobs. However, customer spending on the machines is increasing and continued to do so during the coronavirus lockdown. According to government reports, local players’ expenditures on the machines rose by 12%, or over AU$200 million between June and August in comparison to the same period a year ago.
NSW Authorities Release New Draft Bill Aimed at Minimising Gambling Harm
Last week, Minister Dominello released a draft of a piece of legislation aimed at gambling-harm minimisation. The proposed piece of legislation, which suggested that problem gamblers could be identified by using special facial recognition technology, is to be subject to public consultation.
The draft bill does not include the gambling card proposal, but, according to reports, Mr Dominello has been having consultations with other Members of Parliament from all parties in order to get their support for it.
On the other hand, NSW clubs and pubs offering poker machines have criticised the draft bill released a week ago and issued warnings that measures such as facial recognition would cost the sector millions in cash at a time when most of them are financially pressed and cannot really afford to spend so much money.
Cashless Poker Machines Nsw
Josh Landis, the boss of Clubs NSW, reminded that the gambling revenue of the sector had suffered a 14% year-on-year decline as a result of the 10-week industry shutdown. According to him, “the middle of a pandemic” was not the right time to unveil new compliance requirements for the sector, which has already been hit hard by the closures related to the coronavirus crisis.
The claims made by Mr Landis have been backed by the NSW Australian Hotels Association that has also warned that local clubs and pubs were already facing difficulties to survive amid the pandemic and the implementation of new regulatory rules that would cost them a lot is not something they would be able to cope with.
Currently, the state of NSW relies on a self-exclusion scheme that is run by the industry. Under the scheme, individuals could ask to be suspended from one or more gaming machine venues across the state. However, neither venues nor individuals are sanctioned in any way for violating such a banning order, so the NSW authorities have decided they need to take further measure to better protect local customers from possible gambling-related harm.
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