NSW Government to introduce facial recognition at gambling venues

The NSW Government has announced it will mandate facial recognition at hotels and clubs with gaming machines as part of a move to increase protections against gambling harm.

The government says the NSW Gaming Reform package is evidence-based and will include a statewide exclusion register with mandatory facial recognition technology at the entry of gaming rooms, a third‑party exclusion scheme in hotels and clubs, and the end of VIP programs related to gaming.

It will also ban gambling advertising on all NSW Government and council-owned assets, ban unsolicited direct marketing to potential customers, and establish a state-based strategy to reduce online gambling harm.

People who choose to exclude themselves from gambling will be able to do so through a single statewide register covering every hotel and club with gaming machines.

The new NSW Statewide Exclusion Register will create a single statewide framework backed by mandatory facial recognition technology at the entry of gaming rooms — meaning when someone makes the decision to exclude themselves, that exclusion can follow them from venue to venue. It will also support NSW Police efforts to prevent gaming machines being used for money laundering and other criminal activity.

Mandatory facial recognition will be introduced at the same time as the NSW State Exclusion Register in 2028, helping venues identify people who have excluded themselves and ensure those exclusions are enforced.

Building the foundations for account-based play

As part of a staged approach, the government will put in place the necessary infrastructure to facilitate future account-based play.

Account-based play is a model that enables a person to use a registered account to play a poker machine, rather than gambling anonymously. However, a significant proportion of gaming machine infrastructure relies on legacy technology.

The government will upgrade the Centralised Monitoring System (CMS) over the next two years to allow for a transition to this technology, which would better allow venues to enable account-based play at their discretion.

Rapid advancements in technology since the Cashless Gaming Trial have demonstrated there are many account-based play solutions that can be implemented to meet the anti-money laundering and harm minimisation benefits of cashless, while allowing players to continue using cash if they prefer.

“These are commonsense reforms that have been developed alongside industry, harm minimisation groups, stakeholders and privacy experts to address gambling harm while supporting the industry and protecting the livelihoods of the many people it employs,” said Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris. “By combining new technology, stronger exclusion tools, strengthened regulation and increased funding for harm reduction, we are building a safer system for the future.

“Our government will continually explore and implement emerging technology to ensure NSW has the most up-to-date safety measures available built into our gambling industry.”

More information on the reform package can be found here.

Image credit: iStock.com/Viktor Cvetkovic