Facial recognition mandatory in NSW gaming rooms under latest pokie reforms

Mandatory facial recognition in gaming rooms, a statewide poker machine exclusion register and a ban on VIP programs will be rolled out by the Minns government under the latest tranche of anti-gambling reforms.However, a “super profits” tax on clubs that raise more than $20 million in gaming revenue across Sydney was not included in the latest reforms despite being part of a deal negotiated by senior Labor figures during the party’s state conference in early July.Nearly two years after an independent panel was convened to oversee the trial of cashless poker machines, the government has ignored calls to introduce obligatory account-based gaming at venues, instead allowing these systems to be adopted at their discretion.Australians spent $9.3 billion on pokie machines in 2025.Jason SouthThe announcement on Tuesday is unlikely to assuage critics of the government’s response to poker machines. Last month, Premier Chris Minns faced an internal revolt at Labor’s state conference, with a cross-factional deal foisting more significant reforms on the government.A motion adopted unanimously by Labor members called for a new tax on Sydney’s richest clubs, which are responsible for the vast bulk of the $10 billion in poker machine losses recorded in NSW each year.Under the announcement, an exclusion scheme will allow families, friends, police or venues to initiate bans from hotels and clubs. A NSW statewide exclusion register will replace a fragmented system policed by individual venues and staff.The register will be supported by the introduction of mandatory facial recognition technology at the entry of gaming rooms, meaning bans will be enforceable across venues. It is expected to be ready by 2028.The infrastructure necessary to facilitate account-based gaming machines will also be implemented over the next two years, “which would better allow venues to enable account-based play at their discretion”.There are about 87,000 gaming systems across an estimated 2100 venues in NSW. The reforms will seek to accelerate the reduction of poker machine numbers by increasing the forfeiture rate, meaning one of every two machines traded in by venues will be voluntarily surrendered.More than 3 per cent of the adult population experience moderate risk gambling, while nearly 1 per cent experience high-risk gambling, according to the NSW Gambling Survey 2024. In 2023-24, poker machines in NSW generated about $8.4 billion in profit for clubs and hotels.NSW government revenue generated from pokies is forecast to grow by an average of 7.5 per cent over the next four years, rising from $1.63 billion to $2.2 billion by 2029-30.In a speech to Labour conference in July, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said the suffering caused by poker machines had been allowed to “fester and spread” for too long.“Too long, the private interests of the poker machine lobby have trumped the public interest of preventing addiction and harm, but on this day at this conference for our party, this was a calamity that can no longer be ignored because the scale of the crisis has become obscene,” he said.The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.Max Maddison is a state political reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Michael McGowan is state political editor for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners