NSW National party rejects prepaid gambling cards

The National Party said the move would seriously affect pubs and clubs that offer poker machines.

Australia.- The National Party has rejected the proposal of prepaid gambling cards for New South Wales.

The proposal, which is yet to go before cabinet, was introduced late last year by customer services minister Victor Dominello as a way to help people manage their gambling.

It received early support from anti-gambling campaigner Andrew Wilkie

The idea gained further traction after the release of Patricia Bergin’s report into Crown Resorts’ suitability to hold its Sydney casino licence, with Bergin suggesting that “cards would be a good system to combat money-laundering.”

The system would require gaming machine players to register and preload money on to a government-regulated card.

However, the proposal has been rejected by the deputy premier and National Party leader John Barilaro.

According to Barilaro, the proposal would affect pubs and clubs already impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Labor Party also expressed concerns about the implementation of the prepaid gambling card.