The NSW government continues to work with industry on harm minimisation measures to combat high-risk gambling, clamping down on shutdown periods and paving the road to facial recognition technology.
Chris Minns’ Labor government has launched a landmark guide for the use of facial recognition in clubs and hotels, with a goal to minimise gambling harm and prevent money laundering through the enforcement of statewide exclusions.
The sensitivity of biometric data collected by the technology means a code of practice is a critical guide for industry.
It has been developed to assist pub and club gaming operations already using the technology, and sets out minimum expectations for those looking to voluntarily implement facial recognition.
The guide also prepares industry for future changes to legislation mandating its use in venues once the statewide exclusion register is operating.
Developed following consultation with the gamut of stakeholders, including industry, businesses and service providers as well as the NSW Privacy Commissioner, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and experts in the fields of gambling and health, the code outlines best practice requirements on:
- privacy risk identification
- hardware installation and maintenance
- signage display
- secure storage of patron’s data
- data access and use
- system performance
- venue staff responses
Minister for Gaming & Racing David Harris approved it under section 48 of the Gaming Machines Act 2001.
An evidence-based approach to addressing gambling harm is behind the state government:
- Removing exemptions – seen as “outdated” – allowing hundreds of gaming venues to operate gaming machines during standard shutdown hours
- Reducing the cash input limit from $5,000 to $500 for new machines
- Reducing the state cap on entitlements
- Banning political donations from clubs with gaming machines
- Banning external gaming-related signage and limiting internal signage
- Mandating Responsible Gambling Officers in venues with more than 20 machine entitlements and that they be on duty after midnight
- Gaming Plan of Management and Gambling Incident Registers
From Wednesday 1 April, more than 650 NSW venues will need to close down their gaming machines between 4am and 10am each day.
University of Sydney Gambling Treatment & Research Clinic’s Professor Sally Gainsbury, who was on the Independent Panel on Gambling Reform in NSW, and Dr Robert Heirene, note research showing people using EGMs late at night are those at most risk of gambling-related problems and harms.
“Evidence from international jurisdictions shows that reduced opening hours of gambling venues results in reduced spending associated with problematic gambling,” says Professor Gainsbury.
Government stresses it is committed to continuing to work in collaboration with industry and other stakeholders to ensure the technology is appropriate and practices are implemented, while also ensuring venues can satisfy the requirements.
“The Minns Labor Government takes gambling harm minimisation seriously and while the Coalition sat on their hands during their 12 years in government, we are continuing to work with industry to develop new and innovative measures to minimise patrons’ harm,” says Minister Harris.
“We will continue to deliver evidence-based reforms to ensure we are striking the balance of addressing gambling harm while supporting an industry that contributes billions to the NSW economy and employs more than 150,000 people.”
