IAG MAR 2023

IAG MAR 2023年3月 亞博匯 46 COLUMNISTS I f you are familiar with key trends within the wider payments landscape, such as the pandemic- induced acceleration towards digital payments, and the appetite of central banks globally for developing digital currencies, it’s not a long bow to acknowledge an inexorable runway towards cashless retail transactions at large, including cashless gaming. But like most controversial policy matters, the nub of the matter is obscured through the fog of political posturing, worsened by media reporting seemingly uninterested in complexity, due diligence or straying from a preferred narrative. On one view the mooted shift towards cashless gaming is inevitable and recognizes the trend in commerce generally, an entirely sensible transition, where caution ought only to extend to the manner of implementation and avoiding undue fettering of recreational players. If this view isn’t offensive, then the legitimacy and likely success of any government-mandated transition really does turn on the manner of implementation, the need for comprehensive consultation with the sector, and focusing on where the risks and harms are greatest – not blanketing recreational players with intrusive arbitrary restrictions. It’s relevant to observe that senior industry stakeholders had been advocating for the adoption of digital wallets in the gaming environment well before Australia’s Crown Unmasked revelations, and before the