A central monitoring system that would slow the rate gamblers could lose money on poker machines in the ACT would cost up to $18 million to install, but the government is confident revenue from the machines can partly cover the cost.
The ACT government is pushing ahead to replace $10 bet limits with $5 bet limits, and introduce $100 load up limits, on poker machines.
A timeline released by the government expects a central monitoring system for poker machines would be in operation by November 2024, with consultation on its introduction now underway.
The monitoring system could also allow the government to proactively intervene when automated monitoring identifies gamblers who are potentially at risk of harm, as well as improve the territory's gambling self-exclusion system by locking gamblers out of poker machines.
A monitoring system, which connects poker machines in a network, would also allow the government to eventually monitor potential money laundering activity.
Gaming Minister Shane Rattenbury will on Friday release a discussion paper outlining the territory's intended approach to impose greater restrictions on poker machines in the territory.
The ACT government has selected a central management system protocol developed in Queensland, known as QCOM, as its preferred option, which it believes would be the most cost-effective choice for both clubs and the government.
A provider awarded the exclusive licence to run the system through a tender process would need to negotiate with the government on the fees charged to venues.
Mr Rattenbury said he was serious about having a constructive dialogue with the clubs sector on how the technology and new limits would be rolled out.
"We are seeking to avoid the traditional barney between the government and the clubs around this - you know, just shouting at each other from 20 paces - but to have a joint effort to implement this model over a sustained period of time," Mr Rattenbury said.
Mr Rattenbury said the detail on how the central monitoring system would be funded was still to be worked out, but the government was striving for a minimal cost, or zero up front cost, to the gaming machine operators.
"Ultimately, people spend $2 billion a year on pokies in the ACT and the net gaming machine revenue is $167 million in the last non-COVID year. ... Between government and industry, we have to work out how to distribute those costs, and that's also over time," he said.
Introducing bet and load-up limits will require new laws, which the ACT government hopes will be introduced to the Legislative Assembly in August.
Industry consultation would continue until the end of this year, with the central monitoring system not expected to be in use until at least October 2024.
The parliamentary agreement between Labor and the Greens includes a commitment to reduce the number of poker machines in the ACT to 3500 by 2024. There were 3863 machine authorisations in the ACT at March 1 this year, with 3643 machines in operation; the ACT had more than 5000 machines in 2015.
The ACT government sought technical advice from BMM Australia Pty Ltd, which tests and assesses electronic gaming machines, on how different bet and load-up limits could be implemented in the territory.
The consultants considered direct modification of poker machines to achieve bet and load-up limits, using the X Series central management system protocol and using a QCOM-based central management system.
The consultants concluded direct modification of electronic poker machines would cost between $46.2 million and $73.2 million to rollout territory wide, while the X Series system control would cost between $8.5 million and $17.9 million.
The report said the advantages of the QCOM protocol included that it had been adopted in Queensland, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and New Zealand, and it supported imposing bet limits on the machines.
The QCOM protocol was developed in Queensland and multiple commercial operators offer systems using the technology. It would also have the lowest expected costs to clubs, the government said.
"The government could engage a suitably capable private sector entity to operate a [central management system] under a long-term exclusive licence. This would allow the government to take advantage of existing technology and knowledge while also reducing the initial and ongoing cost to the ACT community," the government's discussion paper said.
There is currently no legislated load-up limit in the ACT for electronic gaming machines, however in practice machines which are authorised for use here have maximum limits between $5000 and $10,000.
In 2019, 19.7 per cent of the ACT's adult population reported they had played electronic gaming machines and 13.6 per cent - about 44,000 people - said they had experienced harm from their own or someone else's gambling, a survey commissioned by the ACT Gaming and Racing Commission found.
Mr Rattenbury said last year there was an opportunity for more Canberra clubs to become poker-machine free with ongoing support from the ACT government.
"We want the clubs to continue to be part of our landscape. It just can't be on the basis it has been for the last couple of decades, which is driven by a phenomenal growth in poker machine revenue," he said.
