The former leader of the NSW Labour party, Michael Daley, has shared his concern that an eventual implementation of the proposed gambling card that could be issued by the state government for poker machines would make it difficult for local clubs and pubs to survive.
Mr Daley was one of the first who commented on the plans of the Berejiklian Government to adopt cashless poker machines and a gambling card and explained that the authorities’ focus should be on saving jobs. According to him, the implementation of the proposed change would mean that customers will be forced to sign up and pre-load some money to the card, which would serve in a similar way to the already existing Opal cards for public transport in New South Wales. The card would be connected to the state’s self-exclusion register and would be created and overseen by the Privacy Commissioner.
Considering the reactions, the proposals are likely to stir come controversy between the NSW clubs and pubs that offer poker machines and the state government. The local pokie operators have already opposed a bill aimed at harm-minimisation.
For now, the NSW Australian Hotels Association has not commented on the possible implementation of the gambling card, but according to ClubsNSW, this is the worst possible time for such “expensive solutions” to be forcibly imposed on clubs and pubs across the state.
Proposed NSW Gambling Card Faces Criticism Despite Bipartisan Support
As Casino Guardian reported recently, Victor Dominello, the senior minister responsible for gambling in the state of NSW, has received cross-bench support in the upper house for the proposed changes to pass.
However, the government-issued gambling card has also faced the opposition of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, who warned that the adoption of such a measure would go too far. The leader of the party, Robert Borsak, explained that a gambling card was not able to fix gambling addiction and problem gambling behaviour in the state of New South Wales.
Mr Daley confirmed a measure that is set to tackle problem gambling had bipartisan support beyond any doubt, but the recent announcement of Minister Dominello creates an association with the greyhounds’ fiasco in which the industry faced major changes without consultation. According to him, some of the newly-proposed changes could be devastating for NSW clubs and pubs at a time when job protection has been a matter of paramount priority.
The NSW government’s plans associated with a possible adoption of the gambling card have been criticised by the Maroubra MP, who shared his concern about the civil liberties aspects, considering the fact that the authorities were recording users’ biometrics or tracking the activities of customers’ activities through a card. The NSW government’s plans were also criticised by Tania Mihailuk, Bankstown Labour MP. According to Ms Mihailuk, the move is not about tackling gambling addiction but about killing local businesses that offer poker machines to their customers.
- Author
Daniel Williams
