Perrottet tells clubs and pubs he will not back down on gaming card

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has told clubs and pubs that he will not back down on a cashless gaming card, stressing criminals can no longer use poker machines to wash their dirty cash.

In a meeting with ClubsNSW and the NSW Australian Hotels Association at Parliament House on Thursday, Perrottet “made his position clear on moving to ... cashless gaming and gambling limits”.

In a statement Perrottet “reiterated his strong view that the status quo can’t continue” but also acknowledged the “significant contribution clubs make to communities and jobs across NSW.”

The premier is determined to see mandatory cashless gaming cards rolled out in the state’s pubs and clubs in a bid to combat money laundering and conquer problem gambling after a damning report from the NSW Crime Commission.

However, pubs and clubs oppose a mandatory cashless card and have warned that some venues could face financial ruin if forced to implement one.

Some MPs in Perrottet’s party room have cautioned him against rushing in any changes, and the Nationals have been sceptical of the cards being rolled out in regional pubs and clubs.

However, Perrottet has strong backing internally from some of his most senior frontbenchers, including Customer Services Minister Victor Dominello, who pushed for a cashless gaming card when he was responsible for gambling, and Cities Minister Rob Stokes.

Stokes used a speech to parliament on Wednesday night to deliver a searing attack on gaming and poker machines in NSW where he pleaded: “We need to break our addiction to gambling.”

“The comforting stereotype of a suburban bowlo nestled in a quiet street under the gum trees is far from the reality of many contemporary clubs – bloated concrete bunkers separated from their community by vast treeless carparks,” Stokes told parliament.

“Outwardly brutal, unwelcoming junk spaces, that all look the same. Inwardly, a fairyland of lights and delights – all directed to deprive the vulnerable of their savings.”

Stokes wanted to show his support for the premier, who faces backlash from the clubs and some opposition from the Nationals. “The premier has shown true leadership and is absolutely right when he says we have to do better,” Stokes said.

However, Nationals leader and deputy premier Paul Toole – who was initially sceptical of a cashless card - stressed he wanted to work with the industry “to get the right outcome” while accepting that a mandatory card would be the ultimate outcome.

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has remained out of the debate, although said he would support a trial of a cashless card, as long as it was not mandatory.

Minns said earlier this week that he would support an expanded trial of cashless gaming cards in the state’s pubs and clubs but has stopped short of backing a mandatory pilot, saying he was concerned about an economic hit to the industry.

The Labor leader indicated the pilot would need to be an opt-in scheme, even though he conceded it meant money launderers or problem gamblers could seek out other venues. “That’s part of the complexity of the response,” Minns said.

Minns’ position on Wednesday strengthened Labor’s previously muted stance on gambling reform following the Crime Commission report, which last month recommended mandatory cashless gaming cards be introduced in pubs and clubs to combat money laundering.

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