New South Wales gov’t publishes voluntary Face ID code of conduct

Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) government has chosen facial recognition as the latest innovation to curb problem gambling rates.

The cabinet of Chris Minns, Premier of NSW, has devised a voluntary code of conduct designed specifically for hotels, pubs and clubs that have gaming machines on their premises.

Built in compliance with Australia’s Privacy Act and Privacy Principles and informed by public and targeted consultations, the code can be used by venues which already use facial recognition technology or consider implementing it in the future.

This adds an extra layer of functionality to identify self-excluded customers and prevent money laundering risk from criminals. It comes amid a wider tightening of gambling regulations in Australia’s most populous state.

All crucial aspects of taking and storing biometric data have been acknowledged and addressed in the guidelines by the Minns Labor Government, including security management, data protection and use, privacy risk identification, and venue staff responses.

David Harris, Minister for Gaming and Racing, who approved the code, added: “I’m pleased to launch a NSW-first code of practice for venues operating facial recognition technology to help pubs and clubs negotiate the complex landscape to best support the identification of excluded patrons.

“The Minns Labor Government takes gambling harm minimisation seriously and while the Coalition sat on their hands during their 12 years in government, we are continuing to work with industry to develop new and innovative measures to minimise patrons’ harm.”

Pubs and clubs in NSW are already facing changes in how they operate, with a new bill mandated by the local government now requiring them to comply with new shutdown rules for gaming machines by 31 March.

More than 600 venues should now shut down all of their gaming machines between 4am to 10am every day, shifting away drastically from a 20-year-old policy that allowed them to operate them outside during standard shutdown hours.

This is just one of a list of measures that the Minns cabinet is taking to curb problem gambling risk in the state.

Additional actions include the reduction of deposits for new machines from AU$5,000 (£2,600) to AU$500, positioning Responsible Gambling Officers in venues with over 20 machines and banning gambling ads on public transport, among others.

Harris concluded: “We will continue to deliver evidence-based reforms to ensure we are striking the balance of addressing gambling harm while supporting an industry that contributes billions to the NSW economy and employs more than 150,000 people.”