The consultation period will close on March 14.
Australia.- Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) has launched a public consultation on proposed reforms to address gambling ham and money laundering. The proposals include a third-party exclusion scheme and mandatory facial recognition technology for a statewide exclusion register for NSW hotels and clubs with gaming machines. The consultation will close on March 14.
According to the L&GNSW, facial recognition technology will help reduce gambling harm by making it easier for staff to identify people who are banned from a venue, especially in crowded places. Staff would still need to verify the system’s matches with a human check.
The regulator said: “Currently, the list of excluded patrons and images that venue staff need to memorise can be difficult to manage. The government is building strict parameters into the reforms to protect people’s privacy to ensure hotels and clubs can only use facial recognition for the purpose of identifying excluded patrons. Venues will be prohibited from using the technology for customer tracking, surveillance and marketing purposes.”
According to the regulator, over a million Australians experienced harm from another person’s gambling in the past year. The minimum ban would be 12 months, with maximum periods of two or three years. There would be a temporary ban of 21 days while an application is being reviewed.
David Harris, minister for gaming and racing, said: “The Minns Labor Government is committed to addressing gambling harm through evidence-based policy and it’s important that we get the balance right.
“Third-party exclusions are designed to help those experiencing gambling harm and their loved ones when other avenues to seek help may have failed. It recognises the physical, psychological, emotional and financial flow-on effects of gambling on a person’s family and friends. This is complex reform which is why we are seeking feedback on a range of issues.
“Facial recognition will also be an important harm-minimisation tool by providing another way to identify excluded patrons in crowded venue environments, which can often be challenging for venue staff. I encourage everyone to have their say on these important harm-minimisation measures.”
The NSW government has implemented a series of major reforms, including capping the number of gaming machine entitlements, banning political donations from clubs and reducing the cash input limit on new gaming machines from AU$5,000 to AU$500.
