The Australian government wants to introduce a cashless gambling card that would serve as the only way for customers to bet. The card would have to be registered to a specific person’s identity and would have limits.
Only the owner of the card would be allowed to use the card. If a person does not have a gambling card, they would be unable to gamble in Australian venues. The card would have to be preloaded with cash. If you value your privacy, you can always gamble online at CasinoChan Casino, where you can deposit anyway you like.
Why Does The Australian Government Want Gambling Cards?
The call for the creation of a gambling card has come after problem gamblers have still been able to access gaming venues and gamble. Authorities hope that in the future, before allowing a player to gamble, the venue would have to check their gambling card, which will show if the person is excluded.
The government is also hoping that gambling cards will reduce money laundering. Currently, in Australia, gamblers can turn up at a venue and place $7500 in cash in a slot machine and, after making a few bets withdraw almost the entire amount. When questioned by authorities, they can point to their pokie session as being the source of their funds. And as gambling is tax-free in Australia, there is little more authorities can do.
The Australian government is hoping to curb money laundering by forcing criminals to create paper trail when they fund their gambling cards. This paper trail can be investigated, which can lead police to identify the source of these mystery funds.
Money laundering is a serious problem in Australia, with police estimating that over $1 billion is laundered through Australian slot machines by criminals and tax cheats.
Who Opposes The Gambling Card?
Gaming operators are strongly against the introduction of a gambling card. They think it will discourage many gamblers who, instead of attending land-based casinos, will prefer to gamble online. They said the extra hurdle of having to register, preload the card and bring it with you every time you want to gamble would lead to a steep decline in gamblers.
Australian politicians will have a tough time introducing this card as the gaming industry brings the country billions of dollars in tax every year and employs over 100,000 people. The gambling lobby is very strong, and politicians will be wary of hurting the industry that they rely on to fund many of their projects.
Have Other Countries Used A Gambling Card?
The only other country that has used a gambling card was Canada. However, the cards were deemed a failure and were quickly abandoned after gamblers had multiple cards and were using other people’s. The Australian government hopes that by having the name attached to a particular individual, they can afford the problems that occurred in Canada.
