NSW Clubs to Connect with Bettors through Ok2Play? App

Four clubs in the Illawarra region, Australia, have launched a new safer gambling initiative where gamblers will be asked to confirm whether they are OK to play before they begin. This will be made possible through a new app called Ok2Play? It would allow problem gamblers or people having second thoughts to rethink whether they are ready to take the risks associated with gambling.

The Ok2Play? App Gives Players a Chance to Give up on Playing

The Ok2Play? app will ensure that the gambling experience will remain unchanged for people who confirm that they wish to play. However, it would provide problem gamblers with a second chance to rethink whether they truly wish to risk their money. The best part is that people who are not certain whether they wish to wager will be able to find help and talk with someone who cares.

As mentioned, the four Wollongong clubs will provide customers with a quick way to contact the clubs’ senior management. They would be able to do so either by pressing a button, scanning a QU code or using the new Ok2Play? app. The clubs guaranteed the player’s privacy and security.

Spokespeople from the clubs provided further insights into the new app. According to Michael Wilkins, CEO of the Collegians Rugby League Football Club, the Ok2Play? application offers a “robust response” to customers who might need help with getting their gambling under control.

NSW Reformers Continue Promoting Cashless Gaming

The current app launch comes amid a continued lack of understanding between New South Wales clubs and the Australian state’s Premier, Dominic Perrottet. Unlike the clubs, Perrottet supports fundamental reforms within the gambling sector, which might potentially hurt the industry. While the Premier’s intentions are good because of his desire to eliminate the pervasive financial crime, his opponents fear that his measures may jeopardize gambling in the state.

Perrottet’s primary ambition is to usher in cashless gaming cards, thus preventing people from laundering money at poker machines. However, many people mistrust the expensive technology and are doubtful of its effectiveness.

Club representatives have slammed Perrottet for promoting an allegedly untested solution that would cost a lot to implement and yet may not resolve the underlying problem. Some clubs even fear that cashless gaming cards may hurt the people they are supposed to protect and prompt them to turn to the black market.

Despite the opposition notable institutions, such as the Health Services Union, the Alliance for Gambling Reform and NSW Crime Commissioner Michael Barnes have supported the cashless measure. The latter even accused the NSW clubs of spreading misinformation as a way to combat the reforms.