ACT government introduces bill for cashless pokies and 1,000 machines by 2045

On 20 October, during Gambling Harm Action Week, the ACT Legislative Assembly received the Gaming Machine (Harm Prevention and Reduction) Amendment Bill 2026. It was tabled by Marisa Paterson, the Minister for Gaming Reform. The bill changes the Gaming Machine Act 2004 and its regulation, and the Assembly is now considering it. Its measures include cashless, account-based operation for all poker machines in Canberra, a ban on ATMs in gaming venues, and a reduction of machine numbers to 1,000 by 2045.

The explanatory statement describes a system in which a player card can be issued only after a person applies for a player account and completes identity verification. Play would be possible only with such a card. Opening an account would require a net loss limit to be set using pre-commitment controls, and an hour of play would trigger a compulsory 15-minute pause. Raising a net loss limit would involve a 48-hour wait from the time the existing limit was set; lowering it would be allowed whenever the player wishes. Issuing a player card to a child, or letting a child use the account-based system on the premises, would be an offence for licensees.

At present, ATM withdrawals at gaming venues are capped at $250 per gaming day; the bill would remove that cap and prohibit ATMs outright at any premises containing gaming machines. A compulsory reduction of 500 authorisations every four years would bring machine numbers in the territory down to 1,000 by 2045. Transition time is built in: the first compulsory surrender round is scheduled for no earlier than 2029, and the account-based gaming and ATM measures would commence only after written notice from the minister. According to the explanatory statement, the aim is to let venues adjust their business operations and upgrade venue management technology.

In support of the bill, the government points to its 2024 ACT Gambling Survey: roughly one adult in six, a group of more than 58,000 people, reported at least one form of gambling harm, and one third of the territory's total burden of gambling harm was attributed to gaming machines. A Cashless Gaming Working Group provided the consultation channel for clubs, community groups, researchers and the Gaming Technologies Association. The Alliance for Gambling Reform backed the bill while arguing for more: mandatory loss limits written into law, breaks in play that are enforceable instead of discretionary, and longer shutdown periods.

The ACT's proposal increases momentum for change along Australia's east coast. In New South Wales, the governing party has pledged to raise pokies taxes, reduce machine numbers over a decade and introduce facial recognition in pubs and clubs.