ACT minister proposes cashless poker machines and cuts to 1,000 by 2045

The Australian Capital Territory has introduced a bill that would require all poker machines in Canberra to operate on a cashless, account-based system, remove ATMs from gaming venues and cut the number of machines to 1,000 by 2045. Minister for Gaming Reform Marisa Paterson introduced the Gaming Machine (Harm Prevention and Reduction) Amendment Bill 2026 to the ACT Legislative Assembly on 20 October during Gambling Harm Action Week, according to reports. The bill amends the Gaming Machine Act 2004 and associated regulations.

The framework would make a player card conditional on opening an account and confirming identity, and poker machines could be used only with such a card, so an account becomes mandatory rather than optional. When setting up that account, a player would have to pick a net loss limit under pre-commitment controls. A 15-minute pause would be mandatory once an hour of play had elapsed. Raising a net loss limit would be possible only once 48 hours had elapsed since the current limit was fixed, though lowering it would remain available at any moment. Issuing a card to a child, or letting a child use the account-based system on the premises, would be an offence for licensees.

At present, venues with gaming machines permit ATM withdrawals capped at $250 for each gaming day. The bill would do away with that cap and prohibit ATMs outright at any premises where gaming machines are located. Machine numbers would be trimmed by requiring the surrender of 500 authorisations once every four years, a mechanism meant to reduce the territory to 1,000 machines by 2045. Clubs would get breathing room: the earliest surrender round is set for 2029, and the account-based system and ATM prohibition would start only once the minister gives written notice. The explanatory statement says the transition period is meant to let venues adapt their business operations and upgrade venue management technology, and that not every proposed requirement would apply as soon as the bill passes.

In defending the reforms, the government pointed to the 2024 ACT Gambling Survey, which found that one adult in six had suffered at least one form of gambling harm, with gaming machines responsible for roughly a third of the territory's overall gambling harm burden. The amendments cover three areas: how machines are accessed, measures giving players control, and the availability of cash at gaming venues. The Cashless Gaming Working Group served as the consultation channel for the bill, bringing together clubs, community organisations, academia and the Gaming Technologies Association.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform backed the bill while arguing that it did not go far enough, calling for a legally binding loss limit, mandatory breaks in play and longer shutdown periods. Beyond endorsing the legislation, the alliance wants the framework itself tightened, especially in how player limits and breaks would work, together with extended shutdown periods for gaming.