SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Four B2B gaming suppliers have been chosen by the New South Wales (NSW) government to participate in the next round of trials of cashless gaming across the state.
Gaming Technologies Association (GTA) members Aristocrat Leisure, eBet, International Game Technology (IGT) and Light & Wonder will participate in the trial, which will see cashless gaming tested at 4,500 electronic gaming machines as part of the government’s player protection, social responsibility and AML objectives.
Cashless gaming trials will be conducted at 4,500 electronic gaming machines across NSW, and form part of a wider objective held by the state government to enhance player protection and socially responsible gaming in the state.
Jinesh Patel, CEO of GTA, said: “The focus for GTA is to ensure a fair and balanced path for gaming technology in Australia. The trial is complex and costly but we are committed to finding a path forward and working with the NSW Government.
“GTA is proud to contribute to the NSW Panel and its members are committed to seeing Australia’s first statewide trial succeed.”
Bolstering player protection had been identified as a key objective by the NSW Labour Party prior to the elections in March of this year, and upon winning the vote the party began implementing its plans.
The NSW Independent Panel on Gaming Reform was created to oversee the rollout of regulatory changes and adoption of safer gambling measures. Back in October, the state government committed AU$100m to safer gambling initiatives.
This figure included a $6.4m commitment to examining the rollout of cashless gaming at various venues across the state, with 28 locations – 20 clubs and eight hotels, including small regional clubs and larger ones with over 300 machines – selected.
According to the GTA, the cashless trials will consider a range of factors, including impacts on employees, infrastructure and technology costs across different venue types, with respect to ‘stringent cybersecurity requirements’.
Michael Foggo, Panel Chair and former NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing Commissioner, said: “The independent panel – which comprises key industry, law enforcement, community, and harm minimisation representatives – has been buoyed by the large number of applications it received for the trial.
“This demonstrates the depth of genuine support this trial has in the industry and its commitment to addressing gambling harm and money laundering. We look forward to working with the trial participants in the coming months and monitoring and gaining insights from this important project.”
This latest set of trials follows similar rollouts at the Wests Newcastle and Club York, covering 250 gaming machines, and the government hopes that the next set will provide further insights into the use of cashless tech to counter money laundering and reduce gambling harm.
Previous efforts in this area have included a reduction in the cash input limit from $5,000 to $500 for new poker machines from July 2023, and a lowering of the statewide cap on gambling entitlements by more than 3,000.
The government has also banned political donations from clubs involved in gaming, has removed VP gaming signage across the state, and has invested $100m in gambling harm minimisation over a four-year period.
Richard Harris, State Minister for Gaming, said: “This trial is bigger, broader and delivers nine times more machines than we committed to during the election campaign. The Independent Panel has lit the next step in our reform agenda. I want to thank Mr Foggo and the Panel for their ongoing work coming together to build consensus.
“The strong interest in participating in the cashless gaming trial proves just how serious clubs and hotels are about working with the Government to reduce gambling harm and money laundering associated with electronic gaming machines.
“The industry is clearly behind us as we undergo these landmark gaming reforms as part of our commitment to addressing money laundering and gambling harm in NSW.”
Australian gambling reforms are also impacting the sector at a national level with regards to payments. Earlier this month, the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2023 was approved by the Senate, paving the way for a ban on credit card payments for gaming with the exception of lotteries.
