Protection for problem gamblers and their families pending in NSW

Proposed NSW legislation could see family members of problem gamblers apply for a ban that would ensure their relatives are unable to gamble at pokies venues.

Under the proposed law, NSW venues would receive fines in the tens of thousands of dollars if they allow any banned person to gamble on their premises.

NSW Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello said he wanted NSW to lead the country on gambling reform. 

"The reality is we are number one when it comes to how many poker machines we've got, but we're the laggard when it comes to harm minimisation measures," he said. 

Among the NSW Government proposals are:

• A third-party exclusion scheme where family members can request a ban where their relative won’t be permitted to use pokies in certain venues
• Fines of up to $27,500 for venues that allow self-excluded/banned patrons to gamble
• Venues will be required to have a gambling contact officer on duty with advanced training in responsible conduct of gambling
• New whistleblower protections for staff.

Mr Dominello told the ABC, "We've got a pandemic and JobKeeper coming to an end in March; we've got anxiety and depression and stress on the rise, and then we've got an increase in gambling," he said. 

Approximately half of the Australia’s pokies, clubs and pubs are located in NSW and they account for losses of over $6 billion a year, with majority of those losses coming from poker machines. 

NSW has always been the hardest jurisdiction to push through poker machine reform and Mr Dominello is under no illusion that the powerful lobby groups which represent clubs (ClubsNSW) and pubs (AHA) will automatically endorse his proposals. 

ClubsNSW and the Australian Hotels Association issued a joint statement on Friday afternoon, saying there are "deeply concerned by the potential impact and cost of the draft legislative changes. 

"While several of the harm-minimisation measures contained in the legislation were originally proposed by the industry, the government's intended implementation would create unnecessary red tape and place a significant compliance burden on venues. 

Alliance for Gambling Reforms, Kate Da Costa said she was glad there would be community consultation.

"This legislation is a watershed moment in gambling history in NSW. For the first time, in real terms, the industry will be held responsible and accountable for its role in a system that inflicts harm."