Survey finds 63% in favour of cashless gaming cards for NSW

Some 32 per cent of voters want a cashless gaming card rolled out immediately, while 24 per cent of back a voluntary statewide trial.

Australia.- Amid the debate on cashless gambling cards in New South Wales, 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 back a cashless gaming card for poker machines and only 16 per cent wre 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.

Resolve Strategic director Jim Reed said: “Support for the mandatory cashless gaming card outpolls opposition by four to one, so the public prejudice is certainly to do something like this to tackle gambling issues.

“Most also want it to be a mandatory requirement from the outset, likely as a means to deny problem gamblers and money launders a workaround. If it’s voluntary, it’s not going to work.”

The introduction of cashless gaming cards was proposed by the New South Wales Crime Commission (NSWCC) after it reported that criminals were “funnelling billions of dollars of ‘dirty’ cash through poker machines” in pubs and clubs every year. Prime minister Dominic Perrottet backed the proposal but ClubsNSW claims that adopting the technology would cost AU$1.8bn and lead to thousands of job losses.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Perrottet is finalising a plan for the cabinet to approve before the March election, which may include a statewide gambling card trial. He has given no timetable for the card’s introduction.

See also: ClubsNSW: cashless gambling cards would “treat punters like criminals”

NSW Greens propose phasing out of pokies at clubs and pubs

Earlier this week, the NSW Greens proposed that New South Wales phase out pokies. The party’s “Pull the Pin on Pokies” initiative seeks to ban pokies from pubs within five years and from clubs within 10 years.

The party says venues should be assisted in accessing alternative revenue streams while existing revenue should be redirected towards problem gambling services. In the current financial year, the state expects to collect more than AU$2bn from club and hotel gaming machine taxes, or 62 per cent of all gaming revenue.