NSW PM says he won’t be be threatned by campaign against cashless gaming
Perrottet said he won’t back down from plans to reform pokies in New South Wales.
Australia.- New South Wales prime minister Dominic Perrottet has said he is determined to ensure that pokie rules are reformed and that may include the use of cashless gambling cards,
Perrottet said neither he nor his government was “going to be threatened by the New South Wales clubs’ lobby into reforming pokie machines”.
He said: “We are focused on solving a major societal issue in relation to money laundering and in relation to problem gambling, and we will work with the industry to achieve that, but we are not going to be threatened.”
Josh Landis, ClubsNSW chief executive officer, has said cashless gambling cards won’t solve the problem of money laundering in the state as claimed by the New South Wales Crime Commission (NSWCC).
ClubsNSW has begun a campaign against independent MP Helen Dalton after she joined an independent political, community, and religious coalition seeking gambling reform. The Guardian reports that the group planned to distribute posters with the statement “Helen, your attack on local clubs is wrong” at 49 venues.
In addition to Cate Faehrmann of the Greens, Dalton was one of two MPs to attend the launch of a campaign aimed at reforming gambling led by the Wesley Mission, the Uniting Church of NSW and the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. As well as cashless gaming cards, it wants an independent self-exclusion register that is independent.
Survey finds 63% in favour of cashless gaming cards for NSW
A Resolve Strategic survey for The Sydney Morning Herald has found the state’s voters to be in favour of the proposal. Some 63 per cent of respondents backed a cashless gaming card for poker machines and only 16 per cent were opposed to any change.
The survey also showed that only 28 per cent believes pubs and clubs are doing enough to deal with problem gambling, while 47 per cent described their efforts as poor. Some 32 per cent think the cashless card should be rolled out immediately, while 24 per cent support a voluntary trial and 19 per cent backed mandatory testing in some areas.
