NSW government floats cashless poker machine cards
New South Wales government is planning to introduce cashless pre-loaded cards to be used on poker machines. The players will have to register and load the money into the card, which will be issued by the government. The card would also be linked to the state’s exclusion register, so those on the list won’t be able to utilise the card.
Operators were surprised by the sudden proposal, but the card was welcomed by anti-gambling supporters. Tim Costello, chief advocate of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, said introducing such a card might counter the dangers that poker machines pose for the state. “It is immensely encouraging to have a minister responsible for gambling in NSW seeking significant reform to support people experiencing issues with gambling.”
As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, senior cabinet minister Victor Dominello, to whom the proposal is linked, released draft legislation suggesting using facial recognition to identify problem gamblers. While the card wasn’t included in the draft, Dominello expressed his support for it.
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