Design decides how cashless gaming affects players, new RGC report finds

TORONTO, ON, [October 28, 2026] – The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) has released Cashless Gaming: Risk, opportunity, and design choices, the third report in its Sector Signals series, examining how the move from cash to digital payment affects players, and which design choices determine whether cashless systems strengthen player protection or weaken it.

Cashless technology is not protective by default. Physical cash comes with small pauses that help players keep track of what they spend: the trip to an ATM, the visible stack of notes, the moment of handing money over. Researchers call this the pain of paying. Stored balances, saved payment methods, and instant account funding remove those cues, which can make spending and accumulated losses less noticeable and allow sessions to run longer.

The same shift also creates new visibility. Every cashless transaction is recorded, time-stamped, and linked to an account, giving operators, regulators, and banks a way to detect harm earlier than anonymous cash play allows. The report identifies four financial signals that research links to elevated risk of harm, each observable in any modern wallet system: cancelled withdrawals, declined deposits, winnings fed straight back into play, and repeated small deposits within a single session.

Among the findings:

• Tasmania’s state-wide rollout and a New South Wales trial of account-based cashless play on electronic gaming machines both centre on mandatory identification, customer-set spending limits, and real-time alerts when play patterns shift.
• Victoria is phasing in mandatory carded play from December 2025, with loss limits and a A$100 load-up cap, and pays machine credits of A$2,000 or more only by cheque or electronic funds transfer held for 24 hours, never in cash.
• Norway sets mandatory monthly loss limits of NOK 20,000 for players aged 25 and older, with lower limits for younger players since 2023, starting at NOK 2,000 for players aged 18 and 19.
• At Crown Perth in Western Australia, any increase to a loss or time limit takes effect only after a seven-day cooling-off period, and players must take a 15-minute break after every three hours of continuous play on electronic gaming machines.

“Cash has always had a pause built into it: the walk to the ATM, the moment you count what’s left in your wallet,” said Sarah McCarthy, CEO, Responsible Gambling Council. “Cashless systems take those pauses away unless someone decides to put them back. What these markets show is that the same transaction data that creates risk can also help us spot harm early, as long as limits, cooling-off periods, and account design are part of the system from the start.”

The report sets out four design patterns that rebuild the friction cash once provided: deposit and loss limits set by default at signup, cooling-off periods before added funds or higher limits take effect, funding kiosks placed away from the gaming area, and large wins paid out separately from the play balance so they cannot be re-bet instantly. In New South Wales, cash dispensers must sit at least five metres from gaming area entrances and exits, and in Sweden, slot machines may not be placed next to cash machines.

Cashless Gaming: Risk, opportunity, and design choices is the third of six reports in the Sector Signals series, running through 2027. Each report draws on jurisdictional evidence from leading markets to examine an emerging trend shaping the global gambling industry, and what it means for operators, regulators, and policymakers.

RGC’s Advisory Services team works with operators, regulators, and policymakers to embed effective responsible gambling practices, drawing on RGC’s research, expertise, and decades of experience.

The full report is available at https://responsiblegambling.org/for-industry/rg-plus-advisory-and-consultation.

About the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC)

The Responsible Gambling Council is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to preventing gambling harm across Canada and globally. For more than 40 years, RGC has delivered evidence-based awareness programs, advanced responsible gambling best practices, and facilitated the internationally recognized RG Check accreditation program. RGC works with regulators, operators, researchers, treatment providers, community organizations, and people with lived experience to ensure gambling safeguards are in place and that all people have access to the information and support they need. Visit responsiblegambling.org.

Media Contact:

Patrick Moore
Senior Manager, Communications & PR
Responsible Gambling Council
patrickm@rgco.org
responsiblegambling.org

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