The introduction of a Cashless Gaming Card is expected to be ‘the death’ of country pubs and clubs.
That’s the view of Cobar Services Club secretary/manager Linda Carter who raised her concerns about the NSW Government’s proposed Cashless Gaming Card legislation with State Member for Barwon, Roy Butler when he visited Cobar last week.
“I told him it would be the death of small clubs in his electorate,” Mrs Carter said.
“The revenue we take out of poker machines is part of our cash flow, and without it, we won’t survive.
“There’s very little information about how it will work, what the rules are, how you increase or decrease your limit, and who does the application for the card [the club or the gambler themselves],” she said.
Mr Butler said the aim of the cashless gaming card is a way of dealing with problem gambling and money laundering.
“However, the government has only just passed the scheme by cabinet and the Premier has only just announced his plans – which includes a specific fund to help regional clubs implement the cashless technology (in the form of no-interest loans),” Mr Butler said.
“I agree that something definitely needs to be done about problem gambling and money laundering, but we will need to look carefully at the details, assess the merits of the scheme and consult with the communities in Barwon to see what the impact would be on those communities, and the venues that have to implement it.
“Then we can see where we go from there.
“I have heard concerns from many small clubs out in the bush, where they don’t have the same amount of patrons, employees or gambling revenue coming through as big metropolitan clubs, about whether this reform is affordable for them to implement (even with the availability of no-interest loans).
“Many are already struggling under increased insurance premiums and the need to meet other requirements of Liquor and Gaming laws, such as putting on extra security staff at live music events, although the government is also offering one-off grants to fund alternative revenue streams to pokies.
“The cashless gaming card will also only treat one symptom of the problem, but not the root causes, it will not do anything to stop people turning to the multitude of other forms of gambling available,” Mr Butler said.
He said it’s imperative that the scheme does not adversely affect other community members, and clubs and pubs.
