There has been talk of moving toward cashless gambling for a couple of years, and this subject has picked up steam as a result of COVID-19. Las Vegas has already seen the introduction of cashless gaming on a voluntary basis and other gaming hubs are considering similar advances. New South Wales (NSW), however, is taking the idea of cashless gaming in a slightly different direction and is said to be considering measures that would make the use of cashless cards mandatory by gamblers who want to sit down in front of a gaming machine. 

The NSW government is exploring changes to existing gambling laws that would introduce sweeping changes to the industry. Legislation that was produced by senior cabinet minister Victor Dominello last week didn’t include a definitive stance on the cashless option; however, he has reportedly been able to drum up support for the idea, which would make it easier for the measure to be introduced before the final rules are approved. The goal of the cashless option is to make it easier for governments to track problem gambling. 

Going cashless would mean all gamblers who want to play a poker machine would have to first register with the government to receive a card. The card would be preloaded with money and linked to NSW’s exclusion registry in order to identify anyone who has opted to be excluded from gambling activity. While not specifically mentioned in an article by The Sydney Morning Herald, the cashless card would enable the government to instantly know who is gambling at poker machines, and how much they’re spending. 

The idea hasn’t been met with a lot of enthusiasm by operators of the machines, or of the bars and clubs where they’re found. The head of Clubs NSW, Josh Landis, told the news outlet, “Gaming revenue has fallen 14% year-on-year as a result of the 10-week industry shutdown, while food and beverage takings are down 60% to 70%. I don’t think anyone would agree that the middle of a pandemic is the right time to introduce onerous new compliance requirements.”