ACT Advances Gambling Harm Reforms with Cashless Pokies Mandate, ATM Ban and Machine Reductions to 1,000 by 20
The ACT has introduced a bill mandating cashless gaming, banning ATMs, and reducing pokies to 1,000 by 2045 to curb gambling harm.Summary
The Australian Capital Territory has introduced the Gaming Machine (Harm Prevention and Reduction) Amendment Bill 2026, which mandates account-based cashless gaming with identity verification and net loss limits, requires a 15-minute break after every hour of play, and imposes a full ban on ATMs at gaming venues. The bill also sets a statutory path to reduce total machine authorisations to 1,000 by 2045 through compulsory surrender of 500 authorisations every four years, starting in 2029. The reforms respond to the 2024 ACT Gambling Survey, which found that over 58,000 adults—one in six—experienced gambling harm, with electronic machines responsible for a third of the territory's total burden. The Alliance for Gambling Reform welcomed the bill but called for mandatory loss limits, enforceable breaks, and extended shutdown periods. The measures add to reform momentum along Australia's east coast, where New South Wales has committed to higher pokies taxes, a 10-year machine reduction, and facial recognition in venues. Clubs and investors must now prepare for a smaller gaming floor and tighter player controls, modelling the revenue effects alongside compliance costs.
(Source：Sccg Management)