Account-based gaming: A system in which a player loads credits onto an EGM from a ‘gaming’ account linked to a verified individual.
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) Act: The Commonwealth legislation designed to deter, detect and disrupt money laundering and terrorism financing. Entities that provide a “designated service” (including gambling services) as prescribed in the Act, must register with AUSTRAC and comply with the minimum obligations outlined in the legislation.
Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC): Commonwealth financial intelligence unit and AML/CTF regulator.
Band: Each Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) in NSW is classified into three Bands to help assess the impact of additional gaming machines into the area.
Buy-back scheme: A scheme where Government purchases GMEs from venues.
Cash input limit (also known as a load up limit): The maximum amount of cash that can be inserted into an EGM at any one time for a session of play. This term is often used interchangeably with ‘load-up limit.’
Cashless card-based gaming: A system where player cards are linked to venue-based player accounts which are topped-up with cash via a cashier. The funds loaded onto player cards are credited onto the EGM digitally (as opposed to cash being inserted directly into the gaming machine).
Cashless gaming technology: Technology that allows a player to transfer funds into their gaming account (which may be linked to either a physical or digital player card) from a bank account, or a debit card using a mobile application (‘App’), without the need for cash. This term is often used interchangeably with ‘account-based gaming’.
Centralised Monitoring System (CMS): A system that monitors and ensures the integrity of EGM operations and calculates a venue’s EGM tax. All EGMs operating in NSW must be connected to the CMS.
Club: Defined under the Gaming Machines Act 2001 as a venue with a club licence which meets the requirements in the Registered Clubs Act 1976.
Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity refers to measures used to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information technology, and operational technology systems, applications, and data.
Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport (DCITHS): The Panel Secretariat, Liquor & Gaming NSW, is part of the Hospitality and Racing group within DCITHS.
Digital gaming wallet: A digital gaming wallet (known on mobile devices as a mobile wallet) is an app or service that allows users to store payment information, transfer funds, or make transactions to fund gaming machines. Users are required to verify their identity when registering for this digital wallet, and transfer money into it from their external bank account.
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT): The electronic transfer of money from one bank account to another.
Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM): Colloquially known as a “poker machine”, an EGM is defined under the Gaming Machines Act 2001 as any device that is designed for the playing of a game of chance, or game that is partly a game of chance, and partly a game requiring skill, and for paying out money or tokens, or for registering a right to an amount of money or money’s worth to be paid.
Facial Recognition Technology (FRT): Technology capable of matching a human face from a digital image or video against an existing image or video from a database.
Forfeiture: Under the NSW trading scheme, Gaming Machine Entitlements (GMEs) must be transferred (sold) between venues in blocks of 2 or 3. For each block traded, 1 GME must be forfeited to ILGA.
Gambling harm: A negative consequence that may be experienced by an individual, family, or community, due to participation in gambling. These harms can include financial, legal, social, as well as health and wellbeing issues.
Gaming Machine Entitlement (GME): Defined under the Gaming Machines Act 2001 to refer to a gaming machine entitlement held in respect of a hotel or club licence. Each entitlement permits one EGM to be authorised and operated by a club or hotel.
Gaming Machine National Standard (GMNS): Australian/New Zealand Gaming Machine National Standard. The National Standard is the approved set of technical standards for EGMs in Australia and New Zealand.
Gaming Machine Threshold (GMT): The maximum number of GMEs (and PMPs for hotels) authorised for a club or hotel.
Game speed: An inbuilt safety mechanism so that in-game spins cannot be interrupted.
Harm minimisation: Refers to policies, programs, practices, and measures aimed at reducing the harms associated with gaming behaviour.
Hotel: Defined under the Gaming Machines Act 2001 as premises to which a hotel licence relates. Also referred to as a ‘pub’.
Hybrid gaming model: A model where players can use the digital gaming wallet to fund EGM play or continue to use cash or cash-equivalents (e.g. TITO) to fund EGM play anonymously.
Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA): The independent administrative decision-maker in NSW responsible for some liquor, registered clubs, and gaming machine regulatory functions, including licensing and disciplinary matters.
Know Your Customer (KYC): The mandatory process that regulated entities (including gambling operators) must undertake to identify and verify a customer’s identity, and to assess risks before entering a transaction at certain thresholds. The KYC process is intended to stop the use of funds from illegal activities (including fraud, identity theft, or other crimes) at the applicable entity.
Legacy system: The systems that are operational on an EGM prior to the cashless gaming trial for funding EGM play, including cash, ticket-in-ticket-out (TITO) and player card.
Local Impact Assessment (LIA): The mandatory process venues must undertake to seek approval to increase their GMT. An LIA aims to inform and support the community consultation process that helps ILGA to assess the impact of introducing additional gaming machines into the local area.
Load-up limit: Same as the ‘cash input limit’.
Mandatory shutdown period: Under the Gaming Machine Act 2001, registered clubs and hotels must not operate gaming machines between 4:00am and 10:00am each day of the week unless they have an approved exemption.
Maximum bet limit: The maximum amount of money a person can gamble on a gaming machine in a single spin.
Money laundering: A criminal offence related to the dealing with proceeds of crime in contravention of Part 4AC of the Crimes Act 1900. Money laundering activity includes receiving, possessing, concealing, disposing, or engaging directly or indirectly with the proceeds of crime. Money laundering with EGMs includes gambling with proceeds of crime for entertainment and gambling with proceeds of crime to convert funds acquired through illegal means into legitimate assets.
Player activity statement: A record of a player’s gaming machine activity in connection with their player account. Under the Gaming Machines Regulation 2019 a venue must make this available to players on request on a monthly basis.
Player Information Display (PID): Information like a clock or timing device installed on screens for players to monitor time spent playing.
Poker machine: Used interchangeably with EGM. Also referred to as “slot machines” or “pachinko machines” in other countries.
Poker Machine Permit (PMP): A PMP is held by a hotel and authorises it to operate an EGM. Each PMP held by a hotel allows one EGM to be authorised and operated.
Pre-commitment: A feature that permits EGM players to set a time and/or spend limit on their gaming play.
Prize: Winnings resulting from playing on an EGM.
Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI): A standardised measure of at-risk gambling. It is the tool most commonly used in Australia and internationally, to screen for harmful gambling behaviour.
Random Number Generators (RNG): A process or mechanism that produces a sequence of numbers that are unpredictable and appear random.
Reel speed: An inbuilt safety mechanism so that in-game spins cannot be interrupted.
Responsible Gambling Fund (RGF) Trust: Provides advice and guidance to the NSW Government on the funding of responsible gambling initiatives and programs, including research, community education and awareness, intervention, support and treatment services, and public policy development.
Return-to-player: The percentage of total wagered money a game pays back to players over time.
Self-exclusion agreement: A voluntary agreement under which an individual experiencing gambling harm enters into a formal agreement to exclude themselves from the gaming areas of a hotel or club, or from the entire hotel or club for a set period of time.
Self-exclusion scheme: In NSW, all gambling venues must offer a self-exclusion scheme. A venue can run its own scheme if it meets the minimum requirements as set out in the Gaming Machines Regulation 2019 or use a provider.
Session of play: The period of time a player engages in gaming activity on an EGM.
Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index: An index produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to rank areas across Australia on the basis of socio-economic advantage or disadvantage. The SEIFA Index used with respect to gaming machines is the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage.
Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2): Medium-sized statistical areas set by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to represent a community that interacts together socially and economically.
Technology providers: Gaming systems companies that develop solutions including games, systems, and technologies for EGMs.
Third-party exclusion: The banning of an individual from entering a gambling venue that is initiated by a third-party, including family members or law enforcement.
Ticket-In Ticket-Out (TITO): A system that allows EGM users to be provided with a ticket with a printed value of the remaining credits at the conclusion of a session of play. This can then be redeemed at a terminal or via a cashier or inserted into another EGM to fund play.
Trial participants: Technology providers and venues that participated in the NSW cashless gaming trial.
Two-way protocol: Communication protocol for EGMs that allows two-way communication between EGMs and the CMS.
*Definitions sourced from and based on the Definitions contained in the NSW Independent Panel on Gaming Reform’s Roadmap for Gaming Reform Report.