Roadmap for Gaming Reform report published

The Independent Panel brought together, for the first time, a mix of industry representatives, harm minimisation experts, police, experts in cybersecurity and privacy, academics, community organisations and a person with lived experience of gambling harm.

Specifically, the Independent Panel examined the feasibility and acceptance of implementing cashless gaming technologies in clubs and hotels in NSW to gain insights from the technology to inform the Roadmap report.

Independent Panel for Gaming Reform Chairperson Michael Foggo said the panel’s Executive Committee has put forward an ambitious roadmap for gaming reform for the government to consider.

“This has been challenging and complex work, and I thank each of the panel’s 16 members for their time, expertise and enthusiasm over the 16 months of the panel’s work, and for contributing their views to developing the recommendations,” Mr Foggo said.

“The trial of this new technology was an important step to better understand the benefits and challenges for its implementation, giving technology providers, venues, patrons and government insights on operational issues tested in the real world.

“The trial learnings, advice from experts, research and evidence have informed the recommendations and safeguards to manage gambling harm and money-laundering risks and inform reasonable implementation timeframes to minimise impacts on industry.

“The roadmap also includes recommendations to progress the government’s commitment to reduce the overall number of gaming machine entitlements in NSW, as well as removing unnecessary complexity and further streamlining existing gaming regulatory regimes.”

The Independent Panel provided the government with separate advice on issues including mandating facial recognition technology to identify self-excluded patrons, and the establishment of a statewide exclusion register with third party exclusions.

The Executive Committee noted that further work needs to be undertaken by the government in developing its preferred approach to gaming reform.