Gambling lobbyists are playing their cards close to their chests after the NSW Labor Party revealed its new pokies policy.
Lobby group ClubsNSW said Labor’s plan could have “material impacts” on the industry but cautioned it would need to consult members to assess the policy.
Opposition Leader Chris Minns announced the long-awaited details of the party’s plan for tackling problem gambling and money laundering on Monday, vowing to run a 12-month trial of cashless pokie cards and ban political donations from clubs.
“The gambling policy announced by the Labor Party today contains a number of significant proposals that may have material impacts on the club industry,” ClubsNSW said in a statement to Crikey.
“ClubsNSW will consult with its member clubs and assess any further detail released by Labor in relation to these policies.
“As an industry, we have always worked collaboratively with governments of both sides of politics to help reduce the incidence of problem gambling and we look forward to continuing that work in the lead-up to the March election and beyond.”
ClubsNSW “strongly believes” clubs are the “safest place” to gamble, and that the industry was committed to strengthening responsible gambling practices.
Minns’ policy plan comes after his party came under attack from the Coalition government for not joining efforts to implement cashless gaming cards, which aim to curb problem gambling and money laundering.
“I said from the outset this is a complicated policy area and we needed an evidenced-based approach to make sure any measures we introduced would work and wouldn’t have any unintended consequences,” Minns told reporters.
The party also vowed to ban advertisements for poker machines outside venues, such as signs reading “VIP lounge”.
Minns said self-exclusion registers would be expanded to use facial recognition technology.
The cashless card trial would begin in July, using at least 500 machines in select venues in cities and the regions. Minns also said he would use a $100 million fine paid by Star Casino to reimburse venues for revenue loss during the trial.
“We’ve done this off the back of industry consultation, as well as consultation with those who are concerned about problem gaming in NSW,” he said.
