The Government of New South Wales (NSW) is considering whether to fully suspend political donations from establishments offering so-called pokies in an effort to minimise the gambling industry’s impact on legislative matters across the state.
Reports have shown that NSW clubs donated a combined amount of AU$632,000 to the three major political parties in the state in the 10-and-a-half-year period from January 2011 to June 2021.
Under the provisions of the existing legislation of New South Wales, gambling operators are not permitted to donate any money to local political parties. However, this rule currently does not extend to venues that offer electronic gaming terminals, which are also called poker machines or pokies.
As Casino Guardian already reported, the Premier of NSW, Dominic Perrottet, has proposed the implementation of a new policy ahead of the upcoming election in March 2023, seeking to ban all gambling donations to political parties at a time when the regulation of the gambling industry has become one of the hottest topics in the state.
Unfortunately, the upcoming March election has seen the ongoing disagreements between Mr. Perrottet and ClubsNSW escalate even further, with the proposal of the implementation of so-called cashless gaming cards also involved in the reforms that are being considered by the state’s lawmakers.
Proposed Ban on NSWClubs Political Donations and Implementation of Cashless Gaming among Hottest Topics in the State
Over the last few months, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has advocated for the implementation of mandatory cashless gaming cards as part of the local Government’s measures aimed at fighting money laundering and gambling-related harm. The legislative effort also includes a proposal for the implementation of spending limits that would prevent local gamblers from losing large amounts of money they cannot actually afford to.
The Premier’s proposals follow a report from the New South Wales Crime Commission that revealed that the state’s clubs and pubs have been used to channel billions of dollars in illicit funds every year.
The proposed legislative changes, however, have not been backed by all members of the local Legislature. The opposing Labour Party has responded to the latest gambling reform proposals of Premier Perrottet by making a promise to bring a significant reduction to the number of pokies in NSW. The Party, however, has not made any commitment to the proposed mandatory cashless gaming card.
As reported by Casino Guardian, the NSW Labour Party promised to conduct a trial involving around 500 machines at chosen locations across the state for a period of 12 months before making a final decision on the issue should it win the upcoming elections in March. As far as the proposed ban on political donations is concerned, Party officials have noted that the Labour Party would stop accepting financial contributions from clubs and pubs offering pokies with immediate effect under a Labour Government.
- Author
Daniel Williams
