Cashless playing cards in NSW to be introduced by Premier Dominic Perrottet if Liberals win election

Cashless playing cards with a daily spending limit would be introduced in NSW if Liberal Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet is re-elected in March.

The premier is determined to remove cash from poker machines as part of the state’s gambling reforms – with a reported cap of between $1,000 and $1,500 a day.

Former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard has thrown his support behind Mr Perrottet’s plan, saying it would be “brave” to take on the gambling industry but also “wise” because it was a measured approach rather than any gambling ban.

If the system rolls out, NSW will be the second state after Tasmania to roll out the cards – although their limit is far lower at $100 a day, $500 a week and $5,000 a year.

NSW could become the second state in Australia to mandate cashless playing cards with a spending limit for use of poker machines (file image)

The aim of the cards would be two-fold – to minimize the harm done to the community by gambling addiction and also to cripple the ability of slot machines used to launder illicit funds.

A 2022 NSW investigation titled Project Islington, led by the NSW Crime Commission, claimed that “billions” in dirty money were flushed through poker machines across the state in fiscal year 2021.

As well as a spending limit, the cards would be tied to a specific person, making anonymous betting no longer an option.

Liberal Transport Secretary David Elliott sided with the Nationals and said he was “skeptical” about the plan’s effectiveness.

“I’m curious to see where in the world the cashless card has worked. i want it to work I want people in NSW to have confidence that their loved ones aren’t throwing their money away,” Elliott said on Friday.

“But unfortunately in this country we can throw away money on all kinds of gambling.”

Mr Elliott, a former senior executive at the NSW Australian Hotels Association, said he would excuse himself from direct cabinet decisions on gambling reform as his son works for gambling technology company Aristocrat.

The hotel industry has largely opposed the introduction of the cashless card.

“We have an industry on its knees after Covid prompted it to introduce an unproven, untested, free and unnecessary cashless system that treats every guest like a criminal,” said John Whelan, CEO of the Australian Hotel Association NSW.

Unions, however, support Mr Perrottet, saying slot machines are taking money out of workers’ pockets.

“What I want to see is another hurdle put in the way of people thinking about what they’re doing when they put more money into the slots so they don’t work through wages for a whole week,” Mark Morey , head of Unions NSW said.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (centre) would introduce the cards if re-elected in March

Commenters on social media questioned how effective the $1,000-$1,500 per day limit would be.

“A limit of $1,500 a day would be pointless for most people because they would be in trouble long before those numbers were reached,” one person said.

“Wouldn’t the money launderers be the only ones pouring $1,500 into slots every day?” another added.

“They still allow television to play gambling ads. Seems as long as they say ‘gamble responsibly’ they can advertise as much as they want,” said a third.