As part of itsgaming policy in the lead-up to the March election,NSW Labor promised to trial cashless gaming in 500 machines across the state in a move that was widely criticised by crossbench MPs and gambling reform advocates as being grossly inadequate.
After the election,Labor established an independent 16-person panel to oversee the trial,which includes industry players ClubsNSW and the Australian Hotels Association,the Gaming Technologies Association and Wesley Mission,which has led the charge to reform gambling in NSW.
Former Nationals minister Niall Blair is also a panel member,along with two gaming academics,the Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Hudson and the NSW Council of Social Services.
The panel has met monthly since August,and in its latest communiqué from October the panel said “it was pleased with the large number of applications it received from technology providers,hotels and clubs wanting to participate in the trial”.
Thirty venues in 30 metropolitan local government areas which would include 4476 machines,and 12 regional venues with 1433 gaming machines,have applied to be included in the trial.
Venues range from a small regional hotel with nine gaming machines to West HQ,formerly known as Rooty Hill RSL,which operates 720 poker machines and has partnered with gaming machine manufacturer and designer IGT.