Angus Rimmer, Club York

It has been slow and challenging as the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority have extensive requirements for the trial. 

For an effective trial, we need to have a specified number of members signed up to the system, which may be difficult. They will have to be current club members.

The technology IGT has developed looks good in terms of functionality. It will run across all our machines, however it will be optional, so cash play will remain alongside that system. The trial has been in the pipeline well before it became an election issue post the Crime Commission’s report released last year. The technology was already well progressed early last year, and late last year we had the technology infrastructure installed and ready to go. We await ILGA’s approval to commence. 

Personally, I don’t think a commitment to cashless should be mandatory until testing has occurred to ensure its viability and success. Limits should be self-imposed if any. Rolling out the infrastructure to all NSW clubs will have a huge impact. There are obviously players in the market with cashless systems in the pipeline, but ultimately for this to work, from a responsible gambling perspective, all these systems would all have to be linked. This is a big task. I’m not convinced either of the major parties fully understand our industry and the intricacies of how we operate.