Tasmania confirms new rules for gaming machines
The state replaces mandatory pre-commitment with ticket-based play, longer venue shutdowns and real-time exclusion technology.
Australia.- Tasmania has confirmed a major reset in its electronic gaming machine (EGM) rules. It will introduce a harm minimisation framework centred on facial recognition, ticket-based play and longer daily shutdown periods.
The new rules for hotels and clubs come after the government’s decision in late 2024 to abandon a pre-commitment card system that would have capped losses at AU$100 (US$68) per day or AU$5,000 (US$3,400) per year.
Mandatory daily shutdowns of gaming areas will increase from four to seven hours every 24 hours. A Ticket In Ticket Out (TITO) system will also be introduced, allowing players to load up to AU$200 per ticket, with a maximum of AU$100 on a machine at any one time. The system does not require player registration and includes no daily or annual loss limits.
Mandatory facial recognition technology will be linked to the Tasmanian Gambling Exclusion Scheme. Venues will be required to identify excluded patrons in real time to enforce bans as soon as an excluded player enters a gaming area. On-site ATMs will also be subject to facial recognition as well as daily withdrawal limits.
The government has also committed to developing technology that enables immediate self-exclusion via QR codes at venues, replacing what it describes as a slow and cumbersome process.
The changes come alongside the release of a Deloitte report on the abandoned cashless card, which found that mandatory registration and pre-commitment limits would have delivered the strongest harm minimisation outcomes despite potential impacts on the hospitality sector. Tasmanians lost around AU$200m (US$126) on gaming machines in the last financial year, according to official figures.
The government, however, has left open the possibility of revisiting pre-commitment cards if a nationally consistent approach emerges.
