ClubsNSW says it supports cashless gaming

ClubsNSW says that it supports cashless gaming technology and has advocated for its introduction for more than five years, proposing the use of digital payments with built-in responsible gambling tools for poker machines back in 2016.

ClubsNSW Chairman Dr George Peponis OAM says the organisation released a statement clarifying its position in response to media reports to the contrary.

“We know that society is moving towards a cashless economy, which is why we already have a digital wallet trial underway,” Dr Peponis said.

“It’s our belief that people should have the ability to pay for play on a poker machine using cash or digital technology — just as they have options when it comes to paying for everything else.”

The Sydney Morning Herald has run 47 stories on gambling reform since October last year when Premier Dominic Perrottet said:

“In essence, we’re taxing on the misery of others. I always found that difficult. I still do. We need to do better. I’m not going to stand by as premier and be in a position where some of our most vulnerable people in our society are throwing their life savings down a poker machine.”

His comments preceded the release of the report from the NSW Crime Commission in October which suggested mandatory cashless gaming cards and enhanced data collection were two potential measures to hinder the laundering of billions of dollars of “dirty” cash that it says is being funneled through Australian pubs and clubs each year.

That same report said that the “cleaning” of the proceeds of crime is not widespread in clubs and pubs – because it is an inefficient way to launder money – but that large sums of the proceeds of crime are being gambled by criminals in pubs and clubs across the state.

Approximately $95 billion in cash flows through poker machines in pubs and clubs in NSW each year.

Since October, advocates for gambling reform in NSW seem to have gained traction and a move towards a mandatory cashless gaming cards continues to garner support.

Earlier this month, former Prime Minister John Howard came out in support of the NSW Premier describing his stance as 'courageous'.

But Peponis says ClubsNSW does not believe mandatory cashless cards are the way to go.

He said, “The international experience demonstrates that forcing players to use cards drives recreational players to other forms of gambling, in particular to unregulated online casinos, and can exacerbate problem gambling.”

“Rather than banning cash, we support banning criminals and problem gamblers from club gaming rooms."

Clubs NSW supports the use of facial technology to implement the bans and says that this technology will become a part of the Multi-Venue Self-Exclusion system, which prevents excluded persons from entering the gaming areas of clubs.

"This system will instantly detect excluded individuals and prevent them from gambling in any pub or club in New South Wales," said Peponis.

On Monday, NSW Labor released its position on gambling reform yesterday if it is elected on 25 March, including a mandatory year long cashless gaming trial in New South Wales beginning on 1 July.