World
Legislations and Reforms About Cashless Pokies in NSW
Will Cashless Slots Unite Australian Politics?
It is estimated that Australians lose around $25 billion annually on gambling activities. This large amount of money, along with the prevalence of pokie (slot) machines in New South Wales – which account for half of all pokies in Australia and roughly 20% of the world’s total – reveals that there is a serious problem with gambling in the country.
As New South Wales elections approach, the use of cashless pokies has become a major source of discussion among political parties as they attempt to address gambling addiction in both physical and Australian online casinos. Politicians have been striving to pass legislation and implement reforms to tackle this issue for a long time, and this is just their latest endeavor. It is essential to analyze the proposals of both parties to better comprehend the difficulties posed by pokies and the potential benefits of cashless pokies.
Past Proposals
The idea of enforcing cashless pokies has been floating around the Australian government for some time. In December of 2022, both the City of Sydney and Inner West Councils wanted reform for the pokies machines. It was proposed that pubs and clubs restrict the usage of pokies from midnight to 10 am. The idea was that this would reduce the harm that this way of gambling can have on players.
While some were opposed to the proposal, many have mentioned that pubs and clubs do not rely on the profits made from the pokies, so it won’t be a problem for them to turn off the machines during the proposed period. Some have even mentioned that job losses will occur from this reform. However, the United Workers Union has said that there is little to no evidence that with the reform, people have the potential to lose their job.
Labor Party New Proposal
Mid-way through January 2023, the Labor party proposed a strategy that could battle gambling addictions and money laundering in pubs and clubs in New South Wales. This eight-point strategy connects to cashless pokies and includes:
- A reduction to the cashless card limit
- A cashless pokies trial
- Banning political donations from pubs and clubs that have pokies machines
- A national exclusion registry
- Gambling signage
Chris Minns, the leader of the Labor party, believes that with these steps, the circulation of pokies will reduce. That will also lower the number of people suffering from gambling addiction, as well as reduce money laundering.
Key Pieces of the Reform
One of the main points of the Labor proposed reform is lowering the limits of the cashless pokies cards. Currently, the limit is $5,000. Wesley Mission’s chief executive Stu Cameron has been a major advocate for the implementation of the cashless pokies and their card limit being reduced. He believes that the proposal from the Labor party should focus more on that particular part rather than anything else.
Going a further step and reducing the limit from $5,000 to $500 will be a major push toward battling gambling addiction, in his opinion. On the other hand, the Liberal party has been vocal about their dislike of the proposal from the Labor party, stating that it is pointless. Although they have said that they have their own proposal so far, they’ve been avoiding sharing any information about it.
The Cashless Pokies Trial
After the proposal came out, Matt Kean, a member of the Liberal party and current treasurer of New South Wales, came out and voiced his concerns over it. He stated that while some of the points in the proposal may seem doable, others will have no impact on the gambling problem or organized money laundering.
The cashless pokies trial has been especially emphasized. The main point is that the proposed trial will only sample 500 machines which is a miniature number compared to the number of machines currently in New South Wales. While the trial can show some information, it won’t be enough to show the bigger picture – with less than 5% of the pokies tested, no significant results will come out of it.
Are Cashless Pokies the Future of Australian Gambling?
Despite all of the reforms and wishes of politicians, in February 2023, the NSW government started a comprehensive plan that will turn every pokie machine in this region of Australia cashless by the end of 2028. The NSW government has already put out several measures, including a detailed guide on how the process will happen. It has already been decided that a special Transition Taskforce will be employed to smooth out any problems that may occur. All of this is being done with the aim of curbing money laundering and illegal gambling.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
For transforming cross-border payments through its deployment with Global Money Exchange, Comviva has been named Best In-Class Cross Border Payments.
The global leader in digital transformation solutions clinched this latest accolade at the IBS Intelligence Global FinTech Innovation Award 2025.
The recognition highlights how Comviva’s mobiquity Pay is helping shape a modern cross-border payment ecosystem that stretches far beyond conventional remittance services.
Deployed as a white label Wallet Platform and launched as Global Pay Oman App, it fulfils GMEC’s dual vision—positioning itself as an innovative payment service provider while digitally extending its core money transfer business.
The solution allows GMEC to offer international money transfers alongside seamless forex ordering and other services. These capabilities sit alongside a broad suite of everyday financial services, including bill and utility payments, merchant transactions, education-related payments, and other digital conveniences — all delivered through one unified experience.
“This award is a testament to Oman’s accelerating digital transformation and our commitment to reshaping how cross-border payments serve people and businesses across the Sultanate.
“By partnering with Comviva and bringing the Global Pay Oman Super App, we have moved beyond traditional remittance services to create a truly inclusive and future-ready financial ecosystem.
“This innovation is not only enhancing convenience and transparency for our customers but is also supporting Oman’s broader vision of building a digitally empowered economy,” the Managing Director at Global Money Exchange, Subromoniyan K.S, said.
Also commenting, the chief executive of Comviva, Mr Rajesh Chandiramani, said, “Cross-border payments are becoming a daily necessity, not a niche service, particularly for migrant and trade-linked economies.
“This recognition from IBS Intelligence validates our focus on building payment platforms that combine global reach with local relevance, operational resilience and a strong user experience. The deployment with Global Money Exchange Co. demonstrates how mobiquity® Pay enables financial institutions to move beyond remittances and deliver integrated digital services at scale.”
“The deployment of mobiquity Pay for GMEC showcases how scalable, API-driven digital wallet platforms can transform cross-border payments into seamless, value-rich experiences.
“By integrating remittances, bill payments, forex services, and AI-powered engagement into a unified Super App, Comviva has reimagined customer journeys and operational agility.
“This Best-in-Class Cross-border Payments award win stands as a testament to Comviva’s excellence in enabling financial institutions to compete and grow in a digitally convergent world,” the Director for Research and Digital Properties at IBS Intelligence, Nikhil Gokhale, said.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
At the end of an extensive consultation with African foreign ministers, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has emphasized that Moscow would advance its economic engagement across Africa, admittedly outlining obstacles delaying the prompt implementation of several initiatives set forth in Strategic Action Plan (2023-2026) approved in St. Petersburg during the Russia-Africa Summit.
The second Ministerial Conference, by the Russian Foreign Ministry with support from Roscongress Foundation and the Arab Republic of Egypt, marked an important milestone towards raising bilateral investment and economic cooperation.
In Cairo, the capital city of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Lavrov read out the final resolution script, in a full-packed conference hall, and voiced strong confidence that Moscow would achieve its strategic economic goals with Africa, with support from the African Union (AU) and other Regional Economic blocs in the subsequent years. Despite the complexities posed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, combined with geopolitical conditions inside the African continent, Moscow however reiterated its position to take serious steps in finding pragmatic prospects for mutual cooperation and improve multifaceted relations with Africa, distinctively in the different sectors: in trade, economic and investment spheres, education and culture, humanitarian and other promising areas.
The main event was the plenary session co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptians Abroad Bashar Abdelathi. Welcome messages from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdelhak Sisi were read.
And broadly, the meeting participants compared notes on the most pressing issues on the international and Russian-African agendas, with a focus on the full implementation of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan for 2023-2026, approved at the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in 2023.
In addition, on the sidelines of the conference, Lavrov held talks with his African counterparts, and a number of bilateral documents were signed. A thematic event was held with the participation of Russian and African relevant agencies and organizations, aimed at unlocking the potential of trilateral Russia-Egypt-Africa cooperation in trade, economic, and educational spheres.
With changing times, Africa is rapidly becoming one of the key centers of a multipolar world order. It is experiencing a second awakening. Following their long-ago political independence, African countries are increasingly insisting on respect for their sovereignty and their right to independently manage their resources and destiny. Based on these conditions, it was concluded that Moscow begins an effective and comprehensive work on preparing a new three-year Cooperation and Joint Action Plan between Russia and Africa.
Moreover, these important areas of joint practical work are already detailed in the Joint Statement, which was unanimously approved and will serve as an important guideline for future work. According to reports, the Joint Statement reflects the progress of discussions on international and regional issues, as well as matters of global significance.
Following the conference, the Joint Statement adopted reflects shared approaches to addressing challenges and a mutual commitment to strengthening multifaceted cooperation with a view to ensuring high-quality preparation for the third Russia-Africa Summit in 2026.
On December 19-20, the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held in Cairo, Egypt. It was held for the first time on the African continent, attended by heads and representatives of the foreign policy ministries of 52 African states and the executive bodies of eight regional integration associations.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Social media platform, TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with United States and global investors to operate its business in America.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive, Mr Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on January 22, 2026 would end years of efforts by the US government to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
It is in line with a deal unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable “over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community”.
Under the agreement, ByteDance will retain 19.9 per cent of the business, while Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will hold 15 per cent each.
Another 30.1 per cent will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo.
The White House previously said that Oracle, which was co-founded by President Trump’s supporter Larry Ellison, will license TikTok’s recommendation algorithm as part of the deal.
The deal comes after a series of delays.
Business Post reported in April 2024 that the administration of President Joe Biden passed a law to ban the app over national security concerns, unless it was sold.
The law was set to go into effect on January 20, 2025 but was pushed back multiple times by President Trump, while his administration worked out a deal to transfer ownership.
President Trump said in September that he had spoken on the phone to China’s President Xi Jinping, who he said had given the deal the go ahead.
The platform’s future remained unclear after the leaders met face to face in October.
The app’s fate was clouded by ongoing tensions between the two nations on trade and other matters.
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