The Annual General Meeting of Unions New South Wales has unanimously agreed to advocate for a gradual decrease in the number of poker machines over the next five years, aligning the state more closely with Queensland and Victoria in terms of pokies per capita.

Australian gaming operator The Star says that it has reached an agreement with authorities in the state of New South Wales over its new tax requirements.

The Premier of Australia’s state of New South Wales is facing opposition over his stance on reducing the number of slots in bars and public areas.

The government of the Australian state of New South Wales has clarified its intention to raise taxes on casinos, previously announced on December 17th. The proposed rates increase are ‘intended to apply to the duty rates payable by the Star and Crown casinos in Sydney,’ notes the state’s Treasury.

The Treasurer of the Australian state of New South Wales is proposing an increase on casino taxes ‘forecast to raise an additional AU$364 million ($243.9 million) over the next three years’.

The latest in facial recognition technology will be rolled out in gaming areas of hotels and clubs across NSW to further combat problem gambling.

In an effort to curb money laundering, the New South Wales state government is set to introduce a ‘cashless’ pokies trial. The digital wallet trial is one of the reform being reccomended by the NSW crime commission. 

The NSW Government announced on Wednesday reforms to New South Wales wagering taxes from 1 July 2022, including an increase in the Point of Consumption Tax (POCT) rate payable by wagering operators, from 10% to 15%. 

New Zealand is calling for comments on plans to update its wagering laws, which will include new measures to reduce gambling harm.

Star Entertainment may have breached criminal law, as well as corporate and gambling law, with its controversial “work around” scheme to use China UnionPay cards for gambling.