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Cashless gaming imperative, more trials ‘nonsense’, says Bob Carr’s treasurer
The state’s longest-serving treasurer Michael Egan – who served for 10 years under Labor premier Bob Carr – has called on his party to adopt mandatory cashless gaming cards and says arguments for more trials are nonsense.
Egan’s comments on the eve of a state election will place further pressure on Opposition Leader Chris Minns, who has promised to cut the number of poker machines in NSW and ban political donations from clubs but stopped short of backing cashless gaming, preferring a limited trial.
Former NSW Labor treasurer Michael Egan in 2015. CHRISTOPHER PEARCE
The former-union official and treasurer from 1995 to 2005 said it was disappointing NSW Labor was following rather than leading on the issue of pokies reform. Premier Dominic Perrottet this week vowed to turn all poker machines cash-free by 2028.
“I’m disappointed that they’re being dragged into this kicking and screaming, but I’m confident that they’ll come around to seeing sense,” Egan told the Herald on Friday.
He said calls for more trials were “nonsense”. “We know what the problem is, the [NSW] Crime Commission has told us what the problem is. They’ve said you’ve got to get cash out of pubs and clubs.”
Egan endorsed cashless gaming in early 2021 when it was proposed by Customer Service minister Victor Dominello under then premier Gladys Berejiklian. At the time, The Daily Telegraph quoted Egan calling it “sheer genius” and likening the state’s trouble with gambling reform to America’s problems with guns.
The former Labor treasurer said he remained a loyal party member and would vote Labor until the day he died, despite rumours circulating to the contrary.
“I’ve always been of the view that you do whatever you need to do to protect vulnerable people from their addiction. Until recently, there was no way of doing that. There is now,” he said.
“We should be availing ourselves of the technology that enables vulnerable people to protect themselves and their families against potential penury, and that’s a cashless gaming card.”
Egan noted Unions NSW, the Health Services Union and United Workers Union – which represents gaming room employees – had made statements supporting cashless gaming. “I’m confident I’m in good company,” he said.
The Carr government in which Egan served has been criticised by anti-gambling advocates for allowing poker machines into the state’s pubs. NSW now has more pokies than anywhere in the world outside the US state of Nevada.
Perrottet last month attacked Carr for putting poker machines “on every street corner” after Carr labelled the Premier unelectable following revelations he wore a Nazi uniform to his 21st birthday party two decades ago.
Egan – like Carr when asked to reflect on the matter in 2018 – said he had no regrets about Labor’s 1997 decision to allow pokies into hotels. He said pubs were in dire straits at the time, and it was “horrendous” that pokies were only allowed in licensed clubs.
“I’m not against poker machines and I’m not against gambling,” he said. “I’m in favour of people being able to protect themselves against themselves.”
Minns declined to comment. Last month he announced a state Labor government would ban political donations from clubs with pokies, reduce the cash input limit on new pokies from $5000 to $500, create a $100 million harm minimisation fund and trial cashless gaming cards on 500 machines.
“We believe this is the plan that’s required to deal with a complicated issue with an evidence-based approach,” Minns said at the time.
