“I applaud the NSW Cabinet’s reported decision to support Premier Perrottet’s gambling reforms, which includes mandating cashless gambling on poker machines,” Mr Wilkie said. “The proposal would see pubs and clubs given five years to introduce the cashless system and for no-interest loans to be provided to venues to assist with implementing the technology. This includes one-off $50,000 grants for venues to make up for losses in revenue.
“This is the most significant gambling reform anywhere in Australia since poker machines were introduced and will go a long way to stamp out money laundering by tracking suspicious money flows, and will reducing gambling addiction by letting people set limits and self-exclude.
“The proposal is consistent with the NSW Crime Commission’s report into money laundering which recommended mandatory cashless gambling on poker machines, as well as the Productivity Commission’s 2010 report into gambling which recommended a mandatory pre-commitment system for all machines.
“This is a stunning turn of events from when the Federal Government under Prime Minister Julia Gillard reneged on its deal with me for the national rollout of a card-based mandatory pre-commitment system. With almost half of the country’s poker machines, gambling reform in NSW would be a watershed moment and change the outlook nationally.
“No one is persuaded by NSW Labor’s plan to tinker around the edges, so they either need to get on board or get out of the way.”