Cashless gaming cards in NSW to be introduced by Premier Dominic Perrottet if Liberals win election

Cashless gaming cards with a daily spending limit would be introduced in NSW if Liberal Premier Dominic Perrottet is re-elected in March. 

The premier is determined to remove cash from poker machines as part of gambling reforms in the state – with an amount of between $1,000 and $1,500 a day reportedly being considered as the upper limit.

Former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard has thrown his support behind Mr Perrottet’s plan saying it was ‘courageous’ to take on the gaming industry but also ‘wise’ because it was a measured approach rather than any sort of gambling ban.

If the system is brought in, NSW will be the second state behind Tasmania to introduce the cards – though their limit is far lower at $100 a day, $500 a week and $5,000 annually.

NSW could be the second state in Australia to require cashless gaming cards with a spending limit to use poker machines (file image) 

The aim of the cards would be twofold – to minimise harm brought to the community via gambling addiction and to also cripple the ability of pokies being used to launder illegal funds.

A 2022 NSW inquiry labelled Project Islington led by the NSW Crime Commission alleged that ‘billions’ in dirty money was washed through poker machines in the state in the 2021 financial year.

As well as a spending limit, the cards would be linked to a particular person so anonymous betting would no longer be an option.

Liberal Transport Minister David Elliott sided with the Nationals saying he is ‘sceptical’ about the effectiveness of the plan.

‘I’m keen to find where in the world the cashless card has worked. I want it to work. I want people in NSW to have confidence their loved ones are not throwing away their money,’ Elliott said on Friday.

‘But unfortunately, we can throw money away at all manner of gambling in this country.’

Mr Elliott, a former executive for the NSW Australian Hotels Association, said he would excuse himself from direct cabinet decisions about gaming reform as his son works for gambling technology company Aristocrat. 

The hotel industry has largely lobbied against the introduction of the cashless cards.

‘We have an industry on its knees post-Covid being told to introduce an unproven, untested, un-costed and unnecessary cashless system which treats every patron like a criminal,’ John Whelan, CEO of the Australian Hotels Association NSW said.

Unions, however, are backing Mr Perrottet saying pokies were taking money out of workers’ pockets. 

‘What I want to see is one more hurdle put in the way, so that people think about what they do when they put more money into the pokie so they’re not churning through a whole week of wages,’ Unions NSW boss Mark Morey said.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (centre) would introduce the cards if re-elected in March

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Commenters on social media questioned how effective the $1,000 to $1,500 a day limit would be.

‘A $1,500 per day limit would be pointless for most people as they’d be in trouble well before reaching those figures,’ one person said.

‘Wouldn’t the only people putting $1,500 a day into pokies be the money launderers?’ another added. 

‘They still allow television to play gambling adverts. Seems as long as they say ‘gamble responsibly’ then they can advertise all they like,’ a third said.