Wagga RSL club chief executive Andrew Bell says cashless world is inevitable, but rushed gaming cards could spell trouble for clubs

NSW premier Dominic Perrotett has committed to the implementation of a cashless gaming card on the back of a NSW Crime Commission investigation which found billions were being laundered through pokies every year.

But clubs across the state have pushed back against the move, with RSL and services club association CEO Margot Smith recently telling members that cashless gaming cards won't "help problem gamblers and to keep money launderers out of our clubs" - as reported by the Nine Papers.

"We don't want to harm the majority of our communities to placate the minority," she said.

Wagga RSL chief executive Andrew Bell said rushing any change to club gaming could have dire consequences.

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He said the few places worldwide that have introduced a similar card have seen an increase in problem gambling, but overall profits have fallen by around 70 per cent.

"If we suffer a 70 per cent drop here, we'll probably have to close, and it would cost at least 50 or 60 jobs in Wagga," he said.

Mr Bell said most casual punters will not want to sign up to a card and give up their personal data, especially in the wake of breaches at Optus and Medibank.

"The occasional punter who wants to put $20 in after dinner at the club just won't do it, and that's the large proportion of our custom," he said.

Advocates for the change say a cashless gaming card would also deter problem gamblers, but Mr Bell said they make up less than one per cent of gamblers, so any changes should not impact the other 99.

"I think [cashless gaming] is inevitable, but I think it's the transition which is going to be the important part of it," he said.

"I think society as a whole is heading towards cashless and the industry has to come along with that."

Rules Club general manager Jack Jolly said a cashless gaming card could have a "severe" impact on the clubs bottom line.

"It would definitely jeopardise the future of the organisation as a whole," he said.

The club's 80-room hotel, Maher oval and a number of community grants and sports sponsorships would be under threat, he said, hitting the community hard.

"I do consider that clubs are a vital part of people's lives for a lot of reasons," he said.

Wagga MP Dr Joe McGirr said problem gamblers are actually closer to 13 per cent of all gamblers, but alarmingly they make up 40 per cent of gambling profits in the state.

"When you look at those figures, you've got to say, are we exploiting people with an addiction?" he said.

Dr McGirr agrees with the Premier's stance, but said that clubs should be at the table for any discussions on reform and be compensated for losses they may incur.

Gambling Impact Society executive officer Kate Roberts also disagrees with claims that problem gambling affects only a minority and said clubs in NSW have fought gambling reform for over a decade.

"For every person who has a gambling [problem] they're affecting between five and 10 other people," she said.

"People who are exposed to a poker machine once a week or more, over 50 per cent of people end up with some level of problem, that is the nature of the product, which is designed ... to have you spend as much time as possible on it."

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