Dominic Perrottet says he is committed to fixing problems in NSW's troubled poker machine sector, but says the government is still working with industry to find the right solutions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
"We need to fix the problem, and I am going to fix the problem," he told reporters on Thursday.
Billions of dollars in dirty cash are being funnelled through pokies in NSW every year, a damning report from the NSW Crime Commission found last month.
The premier said his approach had been consistent since the report was released, and he was committed to getting the policy setting right.
"It's not about the next election. It's about doing what's right," he said.
"So that in generations to come we are not in a situation where life savings are being thrown down poker machines and secondly, money laundering is occurring.
Constructive talks between the government and industry were ongoing, and policy is in the process of being worked through, Mr Perottett said.
The report's leading recommendation was for the implementation of a cashless gaming card to tackle illegal money laundering by criminals.
The recommendation has previously been strongly opposed by Clubs NSW head Josh Landis, who said cashless gaming would not be effective at weeding out money laundering.
Opposition leader Chris Minns has also offered support of a trial of the cashless card, but said Labor would make a final decision after assessing how the card would affect pubs and clubs' bottom line.
"We want to understand the economic impact, precisely because (the sector) employs so many people," he told reporters on Wednesday.
"If I was starting from scratch, I wouldn't distribute 80,000 pokie machines in NSW today. But we have to deal with the industry as it's currently constituted."
Meanwhile, the NSW Greens have launched their own election campaign which would see poker machines phased out of pubs and clubs entirely.
The Pull The Pin On The Pokies plan, launched this week, proposes eradicating pokies from pubs and clubs over the next five years, while helping venues access other revenue streams.
Australian Associated Press
