Australia will introduce gambling reforms to curb money laundering, gambling addiction, and underage gambling. New South Wales Premier, Dominic Perrottet, announced plans to make poker machines in the state cashless by 2028. Under the new plan, the state will launch cashless gambling cards for those willing to set daily loss limits, and players can only change the limit after 7 days.
The Premier also announced that the state would only allow residents to use money from their bank accounts to gamble. In other words, gambling using credit cards like Visa and Mastercard will now become illegal. This is the same strategy used by the UK Gambling Commission in 2020, banning the use of credit cards at top online casino sites.
Perrottet said the cashless gambling rule will become mandatory at all gambling businesses starting December 31, 2028. He said gamblers would need to register their details on a gambling account to play video poker. The Premier told News.com.au that the rollout would begin early next year, and all new poker machines purchased must be cashless.
The new regulatory changes will also allow worried spouses and kids to block their loved one’s cards from use. Perrottet said that almost everyone in the state knows someone affected by problem gambling or a broken family because of the same.
He said the state plans to purchase 2,000 machines from gambling venues in five years, and political donations in NSW clubs and pubs will become illegal. A recent report by the NSW Crime Commission recommended numerous gambling changes to curb money laundering.
Michael Barnes, Crime Commissioner, welcomed the new changes, claiming that it will now be impossible for criminals to spend their ill-gotten money on gambling. He also thanked the government for responding comprehensively to the report, saying he would work with the government to implement the rules if needed.
As expected, the new plans come with some controversies, with the media criticizing the Premier for setting unreasonably high daily limits and long rollout dates. ClubsNSW also expressed concerns about the potential costs of mandatory cashless poker machine systems.
But in a quick response, the Premier said that it’s no longer time for trials as “delivery starts today.” According to Perrottet, the new regulations to stamp out money laundering and problem gambling will protect the industry and jobs in NSW.
