Australia’s NSW state unveils plan for cashless poker machines

• The government of NSW promised to eliminate cash from all poker machines by 2028.
• NSW is home to nearly one-fifth of the 1 million legal poker machines in the world.
• The state’s potent pubs and clubs lobby has a substantial impact on political figures.

A political tussle ahead of a state election next month was sparked by the leader of the most populous state in Australia’s announcement on Monday that all poker machines would be cashless within five years to combat money laundering and compulsive gambling.

The government of New South Wales, led by Premier Dominic Perrottet, promised to eliminate cash from all poker machines by 2028 and to provide interest-free loans to bars and clubs for the purchase of new, cashless slot machines that would only accept bets from bank accounts.

Outside of Nevada, the NSW poker machine sector has gathered the most “pokies,” as they are known in Australia, and the state’s potent pubs and clubs lobby have a substantial impact on political figures.

In his plan, Perrottet claimed that “problem gambling, money laundering, and industry protection are all addressed.” He claimed that in his former position as state treasurer, he had felt uncomfortable “profiting off other people’s pain” by collecting poker machine taxes.

According to the think tank Australia Institute, Australia, which has a population of 25 million, is home to nearly one-fifth of the 1 million legal poker machines in the world. NSW is home to half of Australia’s poker machines.

Since a series of inquiries beginning in 2020 discovered many instances of casino operators failing to halt money laundering and compulsive gambling, the impact of the gambling sector on NSW politicians has come under scrutiny.

The government said that its measures would make it difficult for criminals to use poker machines to launder money by allowing people to put a limit on how much they may spend and only be able to bet with money from a bank account.

The center-left Labor state opposition has refrained from demanding that cashless poker machines be made mandatory, instead declaring that it would welcome a limited trial of the policy.

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