Various Australian agencies advocate that a cashless gaming card could significantly enhance efforts against money laundering. According to the Australian NSW Crime Commission (NSWCC), substantial amounts of illicit money are being channeled through pokies pub and club establishments across the state every year. Implementing cashless gaming could pose a significant challenge for criminals attempting to launder money through gaming activities.
Cash-free gambling is touted as an effective strategy in combating illicit financial activities.
Last update: May, 2024

The issue of money laundering via the state's poker machines is prevalent in New South Wales and other regions within Australia. An astounding amount of over 95 billion Australian dollars circulates through these machines annually, with a sizeable fraction earmarked for laundering purposes, posing a substantial challenge to governmental authorities combating such crimes. Investigations spearheaded by state entities Australian casinos have uncovered a lack of efficient controls or systematic data collection to pinpoint or prosecute money laundering.
A cashless gaming card, with the capability to be reloaded solely through electronic transfers, is a recommended strategy by numerous agencies. According to the NSW Crime Commissioner, poker machines are a favored avenue for money laundering: \"Right now, serious criminals can saunter into NSW pubs and clubs, settle beside regular patrons in gaming halls, and feed substantial sums of illicit cash into poker machines without significant risk of detection.\"
\"The absence of traceable information captured by electronic gaming machines (EGMs) makes gauging the full scale of these criminal acts quite challenging, but our investigations reveal involvement in billions of dollars annually.\"
\"It's a matter of great concern that amid the predominantly cashless digital era we inhabit, gambling in NSW pubs and clubs persists as an enigmatic zone of $95 billion a year. This situation obviously demands rectification.\"