Outrage erupted among gambling reform advocates this week after the leaking of a confidential document detailing the New South Wales government’s proposed “roadmap” for poker machine regulation. The draft report, authored by an executive committee tasked with advising on gaming reform, drew immediate criticism for what experts decried as its overly industry-friendly recommendations and failure to adequately address the immense social and economic harms wrought by gambling addiction.
Chief among the controversial proposals was the committee’s suggestion that mandatory cashless gaming – a reform seen as critical to curbing money laundering and problem gambling – be delayed until 2028, with an initial “account-based gaming system” only launching in 2027 on a voluntary basis. The glacial pace of implementation was slammed by the Greens, with MP Cate Faehrmann lamenting that “at this rate, it doesn’t seem as though there is going to be anything resembling cashless gambling in NSW in this term of government.”
Experts Urge Rejection of “Industry Wins”
Gambling researchers and public health advocates were quick to lambast the leaked proposals as a capitulation to industry interests at the expense of harm minimization. In particular, the committee’s recommended retention of current poker machine operating hours – which allow the pokies to run 18 hours a day – provoked incredulity.
The evidence from independent research shows that limiting the accessibility and availability of machines is important in reducing harms. Surely this evidence should be front and centre in reducing operating hours at times where there are increased risks of harms.
– Samantha Thomas, public health expert at Deakin University
Monash University pokies expert Charles Livingstone was equally scathing in his assessment, accusing the committee of “kicking the can down the road” with its deferred timeline for mandatory pre-commitment systems. “Why 2028?” he questioned. “That’s after the next New South Wales election. So a new government may well decide to start again or do something different.”
Meanwhile, Tim Costello of the Alliance for Gambling Reform characterized the overall package of proposals as representing only “glacial improvements,” reserving particular ire for the steadfast retention of late-night gaming hours. Dismissing this stance as “ridiculous,” Costello argued that “it is the accessibility and availability of poker machines, through operating hours, that are doing the damage. That’s clearly an industry win.”
A “Dirty Money” Reckoning Deferred?
Central to the cashless gaming debate is the explosive 2022 report by the NSW Crime Commission, which found that billions in “dirty money” was being laundered through the state’s poker machines each year. The report urgently recommended a shift to mandatory cashless gaming to remove the anonymity that makes pokies such an attractive vehicle for washing illicit cash.
Under the executive committee’s proposals, however, that reckoning would be postponed for the better part of a decade, with gamblers able to play the pokies anonymously until at least 2028. While the committee contends that its suggested “account-based gaming system” would eventually introduce greater transparency, critics argue that the multi-year implementation timeline is simply too little, too late.
Government Urged to Go Further, Faster on Reform
As the firestorm over the leaked proposals rages on, pressure is mounting on the Minns government to take a harder line on gambling reform than the draft “roadmap” suggests. While the government has thus far declined to weigh in on the leaked document, saying only that it will consider the committee’s recommendations once finalized, advocates are hoping that public outrage may yet spur a change of course.
In terms of a timeframe, waiting until 2028 for a cashless system to be mandatory is too long. But if the government commits to a mandatory cashless gambling system with teeth as a result of this review, then we would welcome that.
– Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP
With NSW home to more than half of Australia’s 200,000 poker machines – a staggering density of one machine for every 100 adults in the state – the stakes of the reform debate couldn’t be higher. As the government weighs its next move, observers on all sides will be watching closely to see whether the final proposals reflect the public health imperative to rein in gambling-related harms, or ultimately bow to the powerful industry forces intent on preserving the lucrative status quo.
