Labour to propose tougher gaming machine reforms in New South Wales
The party has endorsed a policy that would see fewer poker machines, higher taxes on large operators and mandatory facial recognition.
Australia.- New South Wales Labour has adopted a stronger position on gaming machine reform ahead of next year’s state election. Approved unanimously at the party’s annual conference, the policy includes a commitment to “decisive action” through a combination of tax, regulatory and responsible gambling measures in Australia’s largest gaming machine market.
Among the proposals are a moratorium on new licences, higher taxes for clubs generating more than AU$20m (US$13,8m) in annual gaming machine profits, and a plan to significantly reduce the number of machines in the state over the next decade. Some 50 per cent of machines transferred between venues would be permanently removed from operation.
The reform package would also include the introduction of mandatory facial recognition technology in every gaming room to support New South Wales’ statewide self-exclusion register.
New South Wales has almost 88,000 authorised gaming machines, known locally as poker machines. That’s around half of all the machines in Australia. Most are located in pubs and clubs.
The proposals reflect growing pressure within the Labour Party to strengthen gambling regulation. Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne, one of the leading advocates of the reforms, told delegates that the momentum for poker machine reform had become “unstoppable” and argued that governments must prioritise reducing gambling-related harm over industry interests.
