The ACT government is proposing a broad package of gambling-law changes aimed at reducing harm from poker machines. ABC News reports that the reforms would require all players to use venue accounts and player cards, with each player required to set a maximum loss limit.
The package would also ban cash withdrawals through EFTPOS and ATMs at venues. The government plans to reduce the hours gaming machines can operate by 15 hours a week, with that change scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2027. A ban on EFTPOS withdrawals is to be written into law in October and would begin immediately, according to ABC News.
Clubs would have to make players take a 15-minute break after every hour of continuous play. The government also proposes a legally mandated reduction in the number of poker machines, cutting 500 every four years until the ACT reaches 1,000 machines by 2045.
Gaming Reform Minister Marisa Paterson said the measures were intended to address gambling harm both while people were using machines and over the longer term. She described the package as the largest reform of its kind in Australia, according to ABC News.
The proposed cashless system would not include a central monitoring system linking venues across the territory. Paterson said the ACT’s smaller number of machines and the cost of maintaining such a system made it impractical, adding that the government wanted to reduce the number of machines significantly instead.
The existing self-exclusion scheme would be replaced with a centrally managed, online system. However, the government is not proposing mandatory bet limits or automatic bans from gaming areas. Paterson said the available technology limited the ability to introduce those measures.
The government also plans to establish a transition committee to help clubs respond to possible revenue losses, including by considering land development, rezoning, lease variations and rates issues. The package is due to be introduced to the Legislative Assembly, with most measures dependent on a vote by its 25 members.