NSW cashless gaming trial delayed
The NSW government has been accused of bowing to the gambling lobby.
Australia.- The New South Wales government has confirmed a delay for its cashless gaming trial. The trial was set to begin on July 1 with the introduction of cashless gambling on 500 poker machines in clubs and pubs. Gambling minister David Harris said the delay was to allow the creation of an independent panel to oversee the trial.
Harris said the government was committed to reducing gambling harm and combating money laundering. He assured stakeholders that consultations with harm minimisation groups, industry representatives, and members of parliament were underway to finalise the composition of the independent panel and develop a trial framework.
According to The Guardian, the panel will comprise people from various sectors, including the gambling industry, law enforcement, health experts and academics. Their responsibility will be to evaluate the trial’s progress and provide a comprehensive report after a year to inform potential future expansions.
Critics have claimed that the delay highlights the influence of gambling lobbyists in the new parliament. Cate Faehrmann, the gambling spokesperson for the state Greens party, alleged that the gambling industry was deliberately impeding the trial’s implementation.
Opposition gaming spokesperson Kevin Anderson demanded transparency from the government, calling for a revised timeline and detailed explanation for the delays.
New South Wales players lost US$2.8m on pokies in H2
Liquor and Gaming NSW has reported that gamblers lost AU$4.3bn (US$2.8m) to poker machines in the second half of 2022. That’s AU$820m more than before the Covid-19 pandemic. The report revealed a rise in gaming profits of 120 per cent year-on-year (Sydney was still in lockdown in H2 2021). The rise was logically due to the return of customers to pubs and clubs and machines being switched back on after being offline during the pandemic.
Fairfield, a suburb located in Sydney’s west, remains the local government area with the highest net profit for poker machines in clubs, generating AU$225m over the six-month period. Canterbury-Bankstown followed close behind with AU$204m, ahead of Cumberland at AU$133m.
The report showed that more than 220 new machines were installed in the six-month period, taking the state total to 86,872. Gaming machine net profits jumped 11 per cent year-on-year to AU$4.26bn. That’s a rise of 24 per cent from AU$3.44bn in the last six months of 2019. Pub profits increased by more than AU$400m and club profits by AU$300m.
