New South Wales to trial cashless gaming at Wests Newcastle
Set out by NSW minister for Hospitality and Racing Kevin Anderson, the three-month trial will test how the technology operates in real-life conditions and its potential benefits for venues and patrons.
Technology developed by Aristocrat Gaming has been installed on 36 gaming machines, with Bluetooth being used to connect patrons’ mobile phones to machines. Up to 200 members will have access to the system during the trial, with the ability to transfer money directly from the gaming wallet on their phone onto the machine.
The technology will also allow players to set limits on gambling such as a maximum duration for a continuous gaming session, the number of visits to a venue in a specified period, total net expenditure and maximum bets in a given period. Once set, limits cannot be changed for at least 24 hours.
“The trial is part of an exciting new era where innovations such as digital wallets offer customers greater convenience and control over their spending and help venues and authorities identify suspected cases of money laundering,” Anderson said.
“The digital wallet can be used to fund gaming machine play and players can set spending or time limits, access real-time spending data, take a break or self-exclude from gambling and access other responsible gambling tools and services. Patrons cannot load funds into the gaming wallet from the gaming floor.
“The digital wallet requires a person’s identity to be confirmed before they can play and they are linked to that person’s debit card or bank account which means authorities can identify where those funds have come from if needed.”
Anderson added that the NSW government has approved three other gaming manufacturers to conduct similar trials, including IGT, Utopia Gaming and Scientific Games, while another application is currently being assessed.
“The trials will explore different technologies and solutions to enable cashless gaming play in NSW and trial important harm minimisation measures which will help individuals to take greater control of their gambling,” Anderson said.