It was the rumour that refused to die — that the Tasmanian government was planning to drop or water down its nation-leading mandatory cashless gaming card to appease the powerful hospitality industry.
And despite Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s insistence over many months that the government remained committed to the card — which would limit pokies losses — the anti-gambling advocates were far from convinced.
In fact, more worrying for them was what Mr Rockliff wasn’t saying.
For example, the word “mandatory”, or his apparent reluctance to refer to default loss limits, even when pushed.
The ousting of the card’s champion, former treasurer, Michael Ferguson, to the backbench last month, saw another shift in language, as the premier began to talk about “getting the balance right” and the impact on the hospitality industry.
Mr Rockliff has flagged he will look to other states for harm-minimisation measures from problem gambling. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
But perhaps the ultimate sign that the card’s future, as originally envisioned, was doomed was when Mr Rockliff stood shoulder to shoulder with Tasmanian Hospitality Association boss Steve Old, as he ripped into the card.
“On some of the data we’ve got, it’ll close up to half of our venues if the cashless card system went ahead,” Mr Old said.
He said facial recognition was the way forward.
“Under … the current proposal, the problem gambler can lose $5,000 a year on a mandatory card system, but with facial recognition technology, they can’t lose anything,” Mr Old said.
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Now it seems that despite the government’s assurances, those long-held concerns were on the money.
For instead of leading the nation, Tasmania is once again hoping to follow.
The government announcing via a media release on Tuesday that it would be “deferring progress” on the card and reaching out to other states to understand how they’re going with implementing similar systems.
“We believe that the most practical way forward is to work with other states,” Mr Rockliff told parliament on Tuesday.
“I’ll be writing to other premiers around our reform process, and given we’re a small state, a practical way forward is to work with other states on a pre-commitment solution.”
The move follows a report from gaming operator MaxGaming, who is in charge of developing the new system.
The government claims the report found the system would be costly, be further delayed and require the creation of a “centralised banking system”.
The report is not public, however when asked, the government said it would consider releasing “aspects”.
With the card kicked off to an unknown date, the government is instead planning to focus on other harm minimisation measures, such as facial recognition.
It says these measures are “far more practicable”, cost-effective and can be implemented sooner.
It also happens that those other measures all have the backing of the Tasmanian Hospitality Association.
While some anti-pokies advocates argue the card has now been scrapped entirely, Mr Ferguson is still holding out some hope.
“While I’m of course very disappointed that the policy has been deferred, I am somewhat satisfied at the very least that it is deferred and has not been destroyed,” he said.
“I’m not going to give up on these reforms.”
The Premier maintains that his government is “committed to pre-commitment” and it will be implemented “as soon as practicable”
But when’s practicable? And how can he provide any guarantees given the card is tied to the fates of card-based play systems in other states?
“We have deferred it because I want the support of other states and the input, as simple as that,” Mr Rockliff told parliament.
The only other states looking at introducing card-based play are Victoria and New South Wales.
Like Tasmania, both are under pressure from their respective pubs and clubs lobbies.
The Victorian government has said it would introduce legislation by the end of 2024. Next week is the final sitting week.
New South Wales conducted a trial earlier this year — with only 32 active participants — and will be considering the recommendations and findings from that.
But the Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this month the chances of the New South Wales government introducing a cashless gaming card were “fading”.
In defending its decision to defer the card, government has pointed to the fact Tasmania is small — an echo of the language also used by gambling giant Federal Group in its opposition to the scheme.
“The notion that Tasmania, with its small population and gaming industry, could bear the immense financial and logistical burden of this system is not only unjustifiable, but irresponsible,” it said in a release last month.
Despite its size, until now it was Tasmania leading the charge, with Australia’s biggest states following slowly behind.
Perhaps the implementation of a mandatory card-based play system isn’t about who is bigger, but who is braver in being willing to take it to the gambling industry.
Tasmania will never be able to claim one of those mantles, and with Tuesday’s announcement, it’s got a lot harder for it to claim the second.
If you or a family member are dealing with gambling addiction, you can contact the National Gambling Help Line on 1800 858 858.
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