Queenslanders will be banned from gambling more than a few hundred dollars in cash at the state’s casinos in a single day after money laundering legislation passed the state parliament on Wednesday.
The new legislation also implements rules designed to protect problem gamblers, including mandatory pre-commitment requirements, gambling breaks and an enforceable casino code of conduct.
Former judge Robert Gotterson recommended the reforms in 2022, in a report into casino operator Star Entertainment. He ruled the ASX-listed company behind a huge new casino in the Brisbane CBD had exploited a loophole to allow people banned from gambling interstate due to their alleged criminal links to gamble in Queensland, among other damning findings.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the reforms presented in this bill are among the most significant steps taken to reduce gambling harm in any jurisdiction in this country in the history of gambling regulation,” the attorney general, Yvette D’Ath, told parliament on Wednesday.
D’Ath said, when introducing the bill: “To address money laundering, casinos will be restricted from accepting more than a prescribed amount of cash from a person for gambling related transactions in a 24-hour period.”
The cash limit will be set through regulation but is likely to be about $1,000, in line with Gotterson’s recommendations.
The legislation also places controls on direct marketing by casino operators.
It will also allow the government to collect information about gamblers’ losses “to assist in identifying gambling related harm and potential money laundering activity” and for research purposes, according to D’Ath.
The Queensland crackdown reflects a nationwide shift towards greater regulation of the industry.
Tasmania was the first to introduce mandatory pre-commitment rules, which are due to take force at the end of the year.
Both parties of government in New South Wales backed reform for their state’s gambling sector before the last election.
The state will kick off a trial of cashless gambling in the first quarter this year, with about 4,500 poker machines across 24 local government areas covered, including in pubs and clubs outside casinos. NSW has among the world’s largest poker machine industries. An independent review on the trial will report back in November.
In Victoria, legislation introduced by the premier, Jacinta Allen, went further than Queensland’s reforms, including pre-commitment limits and carded play, but also setting opening hours for poker machine venues, setting slower spin times and smaller spending limits.
Queensland’s LNP opposition said the state’s gambling industry was worth $56.5bn but the state government spent just $11.9m on harm minimisation. Gambling losses have climbed 63% since 2018-19, Tim Nicholls told parliament.
The legislation passed unanimously on Wednesday morning. It will take effect within all casinos at the end of 2025.
The Wesley Mission general manager, Jim Wackett, said the reforms were “a good start”, calling for the government to make the regulations “standard across the board – not just for casinos.”
“The bipartisan support for these reforms in the Queensland parliament is indicative of the huge shift in the public mood towards the known harms caused by gambling,” he said.
“What two years ago was a gambling industry-led debate about so-called ‘problem gamblers’ has now shifted to become a community-led debate about a problem industry.”
Star Entertainment was fined $100m by the government two years ago and was found unfit to hold its two gambling licences for three months after an inquiry.
The Gotterson review showed it had neglected anti-money laundering and responsible gaming duties, and deliberately misled the regulator in pursuit of profit.
With Australian Associated Press