‘Not credible’: Pokies trial recommends mandatory ‘account’ for players

Industry reps have labelled as “embarrassing” a report recommending mandatory government accounts for pokies players by 2028, after the trial ended up involving just 14 active users.

A cashless gaming trial which involved just 14 “genuine and active” users has made sweeping recommendations, including that by 2028 punters would need a mandatory government account to play the pokies.

Under the recommendations, released by the three-person “Executive Committee” running the government’s cashless gaming trial, “account-based gaming” would be mandatory from 2028, in a bid to stop money laundering and reduce problem gambling.

Poker machine players would be able to “top up” gambling funds on their government account with cash, including at gaming machines, but would have a daily deposit limit.

No analysis was done on how moving to cashless poker machines would impact pubs and clubs economically, despite being a key term of reference for the trial.

The report recommends “account-based gaming” be introduced subject to more government work, including “additional analysis regarding (the) impact on industry such as revenue and employment”.

A trial of cashless pokies technology has released its report.

The “Roadmap for Gaming Reform” was produced as part of a cashless gaming trial Premier Chris Minns committed to from Opposition, but no decision has been made on whether to adopt the recommendations.

A spokesman for Minister David Harris said the report was prepared “independently of government,” and its recommendations contain “significant complexities”.

“The Government is now focusing on considering the report and its recommendations and we will respond in due course,” he said.

The report also recommends cutting the maximum cost of a spin down from $10 to $5, and imposing a statewide minimum six-hour shutdown period starting no later than 4am.

It recommends all existing variations to shutdown periods be repealed.

Both ClubsNSW and the Australian Hotels Association said the recommendations were based on dodgy research which did not include evaluation of the economic impacts of the changes.

The trial which included industry representatives from pubs and clubs and covered 14

14 venues, ran between March and September.

Initially, 243 people signed up to the trial, but by the end of August, only 14 people were deemed to be “genuine and active” users.

The recommendations were based on research that included an interview of just one participating active player, and a “survey” of two of two others.

It included interviews with 15 “non-user patrons” who used poker machines, 40 venue staff, 16 industry experts and 14 “gambling support advisers”.

LOW UPTAKE ‘LIMITATIONS’

Low uptake was one of the “limitations” that faced the trial, the Executive Committee said.

Despite that, the committee — former Office of Liquor and Gaming Commissioner Michael Foggo, former Minister Niall Blair, and former Labor Senator Ursula Stephens — boasted that the trial had been a “great success”.

In its feedback to the Executive Committee’s draft recommendations, released as part of the trial’s report, ClubsNSW said the recommendations “are not supported by proper analysis or the required modelling”.

“Prior to any decision to continue the trial and/or implement mandatory account-based gaming or any other gaming reform, proper economic modelling and analysis must be completed,” ClubsNSW said.

Under the recommendations, players would need a government account to play the pokies by 2028.

In its feedback, AHA NSW said: “the research findings of the cashless gaming trial are embarrassing and not credible”.

The NSW Council Of Social Services endorsed the main recommendations for cashless, or “account-based” gaming.

Coalition blasted the trial as something which “does little more than suggest the Government needs to do more work”.

“The process has been flawed from the beginning … (and) he panel also did not adhere to the terms of reference as it did not consider any economic modelling in relation to the impact on industry and jobs,” Opposition Gaming and Racing spokesman Kevin Anderson said.

Former Premier Dominic Perrottet promised before the election to mandate cashless poker machines by 2028, while Mr Minns only committed to a trial.

The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.