The peak industry body for clubs in New South Wales is proposing a raft of measures aimed at identifying and preventing money laundering in the state’s slot machines, according to Asia Gaming Brief.
A report from The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, and 60 Minutes in November has alleged that AUS$1 billion (US$714,000) was probably laundered through pokie machines in clubs, pubs, and casinos. Earlier this month, ten pokie venues in Sydney were believed to account for 40 percent of $6 million in money laundering during the past seven weeks.
New South Wales is home to 95,000 slot machines, one of the highest concentrations outside of Las Vegas. Clubs want authorities to ban suspected money launderers from playing slot machines. In addition, they want a secure police tip line and a mandatory industry code of practice for gaming venues.
Last month, the chairman of the NSW gaming regulator called for the government to investigate not only slot machine money laundering, but crime and problem gambling in the state’s pokies industry.
Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority chairman Philip Crawford said inadequate laws hurt any efforts to investigate.
Crawford also noted in his letter how his power to prevent crime and problem gambling in the state’s club and pubs industry is challenged due to inadequate laws, which seem to only be aimed at casino operators.
“In NSW there is a significant legislative gap in the way we regulate gaming at The Star Casino, which has approximately 1,500 gaming machines, and the way we regulate gaming at hotels and registered clubs, which, together, are authorized to operate more than 94,000 gaming machines across the state,” he said.
