Matt Kean, the treasurer of New South Wales (NSW), has refused to explain whether he believes that a poker machine spending limit of AU$1,000 a day is too high after he criticised the cashless gaming plan proposed by the opposition, saying that their strategy will enrage the local gambling industry.
The Coalition Government is currently facing increasing pressure to release more information about its much-expected cashless gaming card. As Casino Guardian previously reported, Premier Dominic Perrottet has insisted on the implementation of the so-called cashless gaming card in New South Wales, with the Government still expected to release details of the proposed policy.
The pressure on the Government rose even more after at the beginning of the week, the leader of the Labour Party, Chris Minns, introduced an eight-point strategy aimed at tackling money laundering and problem gambling in the state. The strategy included a daily cashless card limit of $500, a ban on gaming signage masking gambling services in local clubs, a suspension on political donations from NSW clubs offering poker machines, a statewide trial of the cashless gaming scheme, as well as a national self-exclusion registry. The unveiled strategy plans to gradually reduce the number of pokies that operate across the state.
After the strategy was unveiled by the Labour Party, Matt Kean mocked the plan, calling it a gambling policy written by the local gambling industry for the sector itself. He, however, repeatedly refused to say whether a daily spending limit on the cashless gaming card would be introduced by the Coalition Government and if yes, what the limit should be.
Premier Perrottet’s Proposal for Cashless Gaming Card Triggers Much Argument
According to media reports, internal negotiations over the proposed cashless gaming card have included the possible introduction of an AU$1,000 spending cap, similar to the one imposed on casino companies as part of a sector overhaul that was approved by the Parliament in 2022.
After Adam Bell, SC, completed his inquiry into the operations of the Star Entertainment in 2022 and issued his report of the investigation, the NSW Coalition Government passed a piece of legislation seeking to unveil a suite of policies, including one aimed at creating a new casino regulatory body. The aforementioned changes included the implementation of one special requirement for the largest gambling operators in the country – Crown Resorts and Star Entertainment – to move to a cashless gaming system and discontinue their practice of accepting transactions exceeding AU$1,000.
This week, the treasurer of the state noted that the proposed sample size of poker machines involved in the statewide trial was very small. As Casino Guardian reported, the cashless gaming scheme of the Labour Party would be tested on only 500 pokies, which is less than 5% of the overall number of electronic gaming machines in New South Wales (95,800). NSW is currently home to almost 50% of all poker machines in Australia, 187,652.
Mr Kean refused to comment on the size of the daily limit when asked if he believed that a daily limit of AU$1,000 was too high. He noted that Premier Perrottet had made it clear that his policy involved cashless gaming across the state of New South Wales. He also did not miss the chance to mock Chris Minns’ policy, describing it as the cheer squad of the state’s gambling sector.
Gambling market experts have criticised the unwillingness of the Labour Party to support the widespread introduction of cashless gambling in the state. However, they have also issued a warning that a high daily spending limit could have the opposite effect and actually make the problem gambling rates even worse.
- Author
Daniel Williams
