Clubs ACT expects to issue new advice to clubs this week on the use of eftpos-style cash machines in the city's licensed clubs, requiring club staff to handle either the card or the cash when people want money.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Gaming Minister Joy Burch stopped short of legislation to combat the growing use of eftpos machines, which critics say are a way around the $250-a-day limit on the amount that can be taken out of automatic teller machines in clubs.
Instead, she asked clubs to develop a voluntary code of practice on how eftpos machines are used.
Gambling and Racing Commission chief executive Greg Jones reported in February that since the ATM cash limit was imposed, the vast majority of Canberra's clubs had installed eftpos machines, which give access to an unlimited amount of cash. People wanting money must ask someone to activate the machines, but they can be activated remotely and can be sited away from reception staff.
Ms Burch's spokesman said she had directed the commission to "work with Clubs ACT to amend the Clubs ACT voluntary code of practice to provide guidelines on the appropriate use of Eftpos facilities in venues".
Clubs ACT chief executive Jeff House has developed a new guideline which he expected to issue on Friday. While it was voluntary, he expected all clubs to comply.
It says a staff member must handle either the cash or the card during a transaction – a move that would increase the level of human interaction when someone wanted to access money.
Mr House said some clubs already had staff handling the card or money, but for others it would mean moving the eftpos machines closer to staff.
"It means that eftpos transactions can't be done remotely and that there needs to be a genuine interaction between staff and patron as part of the transaction," he said. "It responds to the concerns that were raised and should satisfy those concerns."
Having to speak with a staff member was seen as a way of identifying people with gambling problems, interrupting their flow of play, and discouraging them from over-spending.
Mr House said the new guidelines also made it clear that while signs could point to the availability of eftpos machines, the wording could not showcase them as a way to circumvent the $250 a day ATM withdrawal limit.
