BANKING INDUSTRY ALREADY WORKING WITH STATE GOVERNMENTS ON ACCESS TO CASH AND CREDIT IN GAMING VENUES

Sydney, 27 July, 2004: The Australian Bankers’ Association (ABA) said the banking industry has already been working with State Governments on the initiatives proposed today by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) which relate to access to cash and credit in gambling venues.

David Bell, Chief Executive of the ABA said: “Many of these initiatives proposed by the ALP in its plan to tackle problem gambling are already in place. The ABA has always supported a consistent approach on these issues.”

ALP proposed initiatives	What is happening?
Banning all cash advances on credit cards by electronic means at any gambling venues	Already in place for credit cards
Setting a total daily cash limit of $200 for any debit card used in a venue	Already in place - cash withdrawal limits on ATMs in gaming venues on debit cards. It is technically infeasible to set total daily cash withdrawal limits within a venue.
Requiring cash machines and ATMs in venues to display account balances following each transaction	Balances are already provided to customers on receipts issued by bank-owned ATMs
Requiring cash machines and ATM in venues to display messages on responsible gaming and problem gambling assistance	ABA supports casino operators making this information very clear on ATMs which are located inside gaming premises. ABA notes that casino operators already display this information in their venues.
Enabling problem gamblers to set lower daily withdrawal limits on their debit and credit cards	Already in place for most banks for bank-owned ATMs.

For further information:

Heather Wellard
ABA Public Relations

Phone: 02 8298 0411

Mobile: 0409 830 439

ENDS