The Commission believes that it is necessary to introduce cashless gaming cards and strengthened measures

Criminals are funnelling billions of dollars of “dirty” cash through poker machines, which has prompted the NSW Crime Commission (NSWCC) to push for the introduction of cashless gambling cards.

A joint inquiry by multiple law enforcement bodies into money laundering in NSW issued a final report, which found large sums of the proceeds of crime are being gambled by criminals in pubs and clubs across the state.

The commission believes mandating cashless gaming cards and enhanced data collection measures could help to crack down on money laundering operations.

NSW Crime Commissioner Michael Barnes said poker machines offered criminals one of the last remaining safe havens where cash from criminal enterprises could be “cleaned” or gambled with virtual impunity.

“At the moment, serious offenders can enter NSW pubs and clubs, sit down next to patrons in gaming rooms, and openly feed large sums of cash from their crimes into poker machines with no real fear of detection,” Barnes said.

“The lack of traceable data collected by electronic gaming machines (EGMs) means the exact scale of this criminal activity is impossible to determine but it is clear from our investigations it involves many billions of dollars every year.”

The Commission believes that it is necessary to introduce cashless gaming cards and strengthened measures

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