Cashless gaming wallet trial kicks off to tackle problem gambling
In a historic first a trial of a cashless gaming ‘digital wallet’ to tackle money laundering and problem gambling will start with 200 Newcastle punters.
NSW
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The first trial of a cashless gaming “digital wallet”, aimed at cutting out problem gamblers and money laundering, started Friday.
The trial will feature 200 members of Wests Newcastle who can download an app to their phones, which can be preloaded with cash and connect to a pokie machine through bluetooth.
Thirty six machines will have the software, and gamblers will need to leaver the gaming floor to load up more cash.
Patrons can limit the length of their session, limit the number of times they can use the wallet at a particular venue, limit the amount spent and total bets all within the digital wallet.
The new digital wallet model of cashless gaming was supported by Clubs NSW in favour of the previous cashless card model proposed by former gaming Minister Victor Dominello.
Mr Dominello divided cabinet with his idea of a preloaded cashless card similar to the Opal card system, and eventually lost the portfolio to Kevin Anderson, who instead worked with Clubs NSW for an opt-in wallet system.
“The club industry is committed to being proactive in the responsible gambling and anti-money laundering spaces, and this trial — which ClubsNSW proposed in 2018 — is just another example of that,“ Clubs NSW CEO Josh Landis said.
“We believe that people should have the ability to pay for play on a poker machine using cash or a digital wallet, just as they have options in how they pay for any other form of entertainment, and we look forward to more digital wallet trials commencing in clubs across the state soon.”
In May this year The Sunday Telegraph revealed a secret government report detailing rampant money laundering in more than 170 Sydney venues.
The report found over a seven weekmore than $5.5 million was washed through pokie machines Gaming Minister Kevin Anderson said cashless gaming more cashless gaming help venues and authorities identify suspected cases of money laundering.
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