NSW Deputy Premier Claims Cashless Tech Is Not Implementable Yet

New South Wales politicians continue to discuss the prospects of introducing cashless gaming in the Australian state. Some believe that the technology will benefit the sector and reduce financial crime, while others fear the implementation of such tech may be too costly.

Paul Toole Has Some Doubts about Cashless Tech

Dominic Perrottet, the state’s premier, shared that he is supportive of the introduction of cashless gaming cards to NSW’s gaming venues. However, Paul Toole, leader of the NSW Nationals party and deputy premier of NSW, doubted that the discussed technology exists.

Toole claimed that the cashless gambling card technology is not advanced enough to be implemented. Because of that, the government would have to work with the industry to discuss the prospects of cashless gaming and how it can be implemented and how it would work.

Someone Is Feeding Toole Lies, Livingstone Said

Toole’s former claim was since refuted by the experienced gambling policy specialist and associate professor at Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Charles Livingstone.

Livingstone provided many examples of regulated jurisdictions where similar technology is currently in use. This includes Norway, Sweden and even the neighboring state of Victoria. Tasmania is another state that is currently planning to go cashless. The expert argued that cashless gaming can absolutely be implemented in NSW within a few years if given the green light.

Livingstone said that whoever is telling the deputy premier that cashless technology is not sufficiently advanced is lying to him. However, he confirmed that a bunch of older machines may need some extra tweaking before they can operate with cashless tech.

The only real issue is making sure the protocol is right, making sure that you’ve got a supplier who can do it. If you gave them two years to do it, [cashless gaming] should all be rolled out by the beginning of 2025.

Charles Livingstone, gambling policy expert

Cashless Gaming Remains a Controversial Topic

Livingstone said that the major challenge for cashless gaming is not the technology itself but the strong lobbying on the Australian Hotels Association and ClubsNSW’s side. Both unions were disgruntled by the prospects of going cashless and, considering their value to the state, many politicians are reluctant to go against their interests.

Still, many believe that going cashless would be a meaningful change that would prevent much of the gambling-related financial fraud in the state. However, the novelty of the idea makes it too much for many people in NSW politics. Last week, Chris Minns also said that he prefers to first hear other propositions than backing a measure he barely knows anything about.