Where cashless gaming and pre-commitment stand

A ticket-in, ticket-out cash-out voucher printed by a slot machine at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, 2012 (a US casino). Photo: Sean MacEntee from Monaghan, Ireland, CC BY 2.0

Three states, three different paths

The idea behind cashless and carded play is simple enough. If money reaches a poker machine through a registered account or card instead of banknotes, a player can set limits in advance and play can be tracked against them. How far each state has gone with that idea varies a great deal. New South Wales trialled digital wallets and then moved towards account-based play at the venue's discretion. Victoria legislated mandatory carded play but has not yet switched it on. Tasmania planned a statewide card, deferred it and then formally withdrew the direction.

The timeline below covers the steps we could confirm on an official page. Where a date was reported elsewhere but not on a government or regulator page, we left it out.

Timeline of confirmed steps

• 1 July 2023, NSW. New gaming machines are limited to a $500 cash input, down from $5,000, according to a NSW ministerial release.
• 16 July 2023, Victoria. The government announces mandatory carded play and pre-commitment, a $100 load-up limit in place of $1,000, a 3-second spin rate and a 4am to 10am closing period for gaming rooms. The VGCCC summary of the reforms sets these out.
• March to September 2024, NSW. The Cashless Gaming Trial runs under a Ministerial Order made under s 205A of the Gaming Machines Act 2001, with temporary law changes in place until 30 September 2024.
• 19 November 2024, Tasmania. The government announces it will "defer progress on a mandatory pre-commitment card".
• 27 May 2025, Victoria. The Gambling Legislation Amendment (Pre-commitment and Carded Play) Bill 2024 passes Parliament. The carded play trial scheduled for May and June 2025 is postponed.
• 1 April 2026, NSW. Exemptions from the overnight shutdown end on 31 March 2026, and from 1 April more than 650 venues must turn machines off between 4am and 10am.
• June 2026, Tasmania. A Ministerial Direction rescinds the earlier direction to implement a player card.
• 3 September 2026, NSW. Liquor & Gaming NSW publishes the state's Gaming Reform Package, which leans on account-based play and exclusion rather than mandatory cashless gaming.

New South Wales: a trial, then a different route

The NSW trial page describes 14 venues, 10 clubs and 4 hotels across 12 local government areas, working with five technology providers including eBet, IGT and Light & Wonder. Taking part was voluntary for players. When the temporary law changes lapsed, some venues kept the technology under a separate Ministerial Order.

The state's attention then shifted to the overnight shutdown. The ministerial release of 25 March 2026 reported that, of 672 venues with varied shutdown periods, 649 exemptions had been revoked by Liquor & Gaming NSW and 10 by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority as at 24 March 2026. The same release lists other measures: a reduced cap on gaming machine entitlements through forfeiture, a ban on political donations from clubs with gaming machines, signage bans, Responsible Gambling Officers in venues with more than 20 entitlements, and an advertising ban on transport.

The Gaming Reform Package is the current plan. It provides for a statewide exclusion register backed by mandatory facial recognition, expected in 2028, with third-party exclusion to follow once the register runs. A two-way communication protocol and system upgrade are planned "over the next two years" so that account-based play can be offered, but venues may enable it at their discretion. Registered players would get monthly statements, the forfeiture rate on entitlements rises from 1 in 3 to 1 in 2, VIP programs are banned, the advertising ban extends to all government and council assets, and $20 million goes to the Responsible Gambling Fund over two years. The package also flags a review of the shutdown period. Mandatory cashless gaming is not part of it.

Victoria: legislated, not yet switched on

Victoria has gone furthest on paper. The 2023 announcement committed to mandatory carded play across hotels and clubs, with pre-commitment built in. The Bill that gives effect to it passed on 27 May 2025, but the VGCCC's update on the Bill says the carded play trial was postponed and that timeframes will be updated. No replacement start date had been published on that page when we checked.

Two other measures are in force. The VGCCC compliance page, updated on 7 August 2026, says hotel and club machines cannot accept more than $100 in cash at a time, enforced through the central monitoring and control system, while ticket-in ticket-out tickets are not affected. About 360 older machines running a different protocol have a lower limit. The same page says a venue "must not allow a game to be played on a poker machine if the spin rate is less than 3 seconds".

Tasmania: from directive to withdrawal

Tasmania's path is the clearest reversal. The Tasmanian Treasury page records Ministerial Direction 1/2021 to investigate options, a Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission report on 15 September 2022, and Ministerial Direction 1/2022 to implement a player card with pre-commitment and cashless gaming. A consultation paper followed on 9 September 2024, submissions closed on 18 October 2024, and on 19 November 2024 the government deferred the card.

The Sixth Social and Economic Impact Study consultation paper, prepared for Treasury in July 2026, confirms that a Ministerial Direction in June 2026 rescinded the direction to implement the card. In its place, a January 2026 package extended the daily shutdown from four to seven hours in every 24, introduced ticket-in ticket-out with transaction limits, allowed immediate self-exclusion through QR codes and required facial recognition. New technical standards took effect from 1 February 2026.

Side-by-side comparison

Status of the main measures in each state, from the pages cited above.

What this means at the venue

For a punter walking into a pub today, the differences are practical. In Victoria a hotel or club machine will not take more than $100 in cash at a time. In New South Wales a newer machine takes up to $500 in cash, and more than 650 venues must switch machines off between 4am and 10am. In Tasmania the shutdown is longer, and self-exclusion can now be started on the spot with a QR code. None of the three states yet requires a card or account to play a pokie in a hotel or club. Electronic payments to gaming venues are a separate question from the online methods covered in our guide to payment options.

Pre-commitment does not need to wait for legislation. Deciding on a limit before entering the venue, and leaving cards at home, does much of the same job. Venue staff can explain the local self-exclusion options, and Gambling Help Online offers free counselling on 1800 858 858. Our responsible gambling page has more on limit-setting. For the legal background on land-based and online gambling, see our overview of gambling law across Australia. Gambling is for adults 18 and over.