If re-elected, the New South Wales government plans to transition all slots to a cashless system.
All poker machines in the Australian state of New South Wales, often called pokies, are planned to become cashless by the year 2028, according to the Liberal-Nationals coalition government. However, the opposition Labor Party is heavily favored to win the upcoming election in March, with a probability of 89%.
This is a significant change, but it depends on the coalition's re-election. The Labor Party might take power instead.
The coalition's plan includes financial aid for pubs and clubs to switch to cashless gambling by December 31, 2028. This includes special grants and interest-free loans to help cover any financial losses from the transition.
Additionally, the plan would prohibit political donations from pubs and clubs.
Anti-Money Laundering Measures
The proposal follows a report from the NSW Crime Commission, which revealed that criminals were using slot machines across the state for money laundering by gambling small amounts of large cash.
The proposed system would use a digital wallet linked to a gambler's identity and bank account. Users can transfer credit to the machines using their mobile phones via Bluetooth.
The government expects this system to also help reduce problem gambling. Players will be able to set their own spending limits and cooling-off periods, and will not be able to use credit cards or automatic top-ups.
Most of Australia's slots are located outside of casinos, in pubs, clubs, and hotels. Although Australia has only 0.3% of the world's population, it has 17% of the slots in non-casino venues, according to the Australia Institute Tasmania.
New South Wales has approximately 47% of the estimated 183,000 machines in the country, with around 86,000 slots.
Costs and Challenges
Labor leader Chris Minns supported the reforms, but criticized some elements of the government's plan, which his party had announced several weeks prior, according to Australian broadcaster ABC.
Labor has promised a 12-month cashless gambling trial if elected, but has not pledged to implement the coalition's wider proposal. They have also promised to purchase 2,000 machines.
The New South Wales pubs and clubs lobby, ClubsNSW, stated that they are committed to combating problem gambling and keeping criminals out of gaming venues. However, they expressed concern about the potential costs and technical challenges involved in the coalition's cashless gaming proposal, and the impact it may have on small, regional clubs and jobs in the industry.
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