Tabcorp’s move toward cashless betting terminals in Victoria was not simply a technology upgrade. It followed regulatory action over repeated incidents involving a minor using Electronic Betting Terminals, commonly known as EBTs, at multiple Victorian venues.
In January 2024, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission directed Tabcorp to strengthen supervision across its retail network. Under the new rules, any terminal that continues to accept cash must be located within five metres of the service counter and remain clearly visible to staff. Terminals positioned farther away had to be converted to voucher-based, cashless operation.
The change affected more than 60% of Tabcorp’s Electronic Betting Terminals in Victoria, making it one of the most significant operational changes to the company’s retail betting network in recent years.
The regulator acted after a 17-year-old was found to have gambled repeatedly through Tabcorp terminals at several Victorian hotels, clubs and TAB agencies.
The conduct occurred between May 2022 and October 2023 and eventually led to 43 charges against Tabcorp, including:
The minor placed 36 bets worth a combined AU$6,015 during the offending period. In June 2024, Tabcorp pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay AU$370,417, consisting of a AU$274,000 fine and AU$96,417 in regulatory costs.
The cashless direction was therefore primarily a harm-prevention and age-verification measure rather than an attempt to remove cash from betting altogether.
Electronic Betting Terminals are self-service screens installed in TAB agencies, pubs and licensed clubs. Customers can use them to select racing or sports markets and place bets without asking a staff member to process every wager.
Under the revised Victorian requirements, terminals fall into two main categories.
An EBT may continue accepting cash when it is:
The arrangement is intended to help employees identify underage customers and intervene before a bet is placed.
Terminals located beyond the five-metre limit must operate without direct cash acceptance.
A customer must first visit the counter and purchase or obtain a betting voucher. Staff can then request identification when the customer appears younger than 25. The voucher is inserted or scanned at the terminal to fund the bet.
This creates an additional staff interaction before the customer can use a less-visible machine.
Not necessarily.
In this case, “cashless” mainly refers to the removal of direct cash acceptance from many self-service terminals. Customers can still use a voucher purchased at the venue rather than linking a bank card or opening a fully digital wagering account.
Depending on the terminal and venue, bettors may therefore use:
The specific functions available may differ between locations.
The VGCCC also required Tabcorp to introduce an independent mystery-shopper program.
Under this program, people who appear younger than 25 test whether venue staff request identification before allowing access to wagering facilities. The regulator said that an initial failure may result in a warning and increased monitoring.
Repeated failures can lead to stronger measures, including:
This means responsibility does not sit with technology alone. Venue operators and staff must actively supervise betting areas and carry out identification checks.
For most adults, the practical change is an additional step when using terminals located away from a service counter.
A customer may now need to:
This may be less convenient than inserting cash directly, but it creates a clearer verification point and makes unsupervised use more difficult.
Bettors should also be aware that vouchers may have:
Customers should check these details at the venue before purchasing a voucher.
Cashless or voucher-based systems can improve transaction visibility and reduce some risks associated with unattended cash terminals.
Potential benefits include:
However, cashless technology does not automatically make gambling safer. A faster or more convenient payment process may also make it easier for some customers to lose track of spending.
Effective consumer protection still depends on:
The terminal changes formed part of broader scrutiny of Tabcorp’s Victorian operations.
In August 2024, the VGCCC imposed a separate AU$4.6 million fine after finding repeated breaches of Tabcorp’s wagering licence and Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct between August 2020 and February 2023. The regulator also directed the company to undertake a transformation program intended to strengthen compliance and harm-minimisation systems.
Tabcorp had previously received a AU$1 million fine in September 2023 for repeatedly failing to comply with regulatory directions during an investigation into a major system outage affecting the 2020 Spring Racing Carnival.
These actions show that the cashless-terminal direction was not an isolated technical decision. It formed part of a wider effort by the VGCCC to demand stronger supervision, better responsible gambling controls and more reliable compliance from Victoria’s wagering licensee.
Despite the regulatory action, Tabcorp remains the holder of Victoria’s principal Wagering and Betting Licence.
The company was awarded a new 20-year licence in December 2023, which took effect in August 2024. It allows Tabcorp to offer pari-mutuel and fixed-odds betting and operate Victoria’s only off-course retail wagering network.
The long licence term gives Tabcorp a central position in Victorian racing and sports wagering, but it also places significant compliance responsibilities on the company.
Tabcorp must follow:
A new Tabcorp responsible gambling code became effective in Victoria on 11 May 2026.
Pubs, clubs and TAB agencies cannot treat the change as a simple software update.
Venues must consider:
The Tabcorp prosecution also reinforced that both the wagering operator and individual venue operators can face consequences when minors access gambling facilities.
Tabcorp’s Victorian cashless shift was introduced after serious failures involving underage gambling, not merely as part of the industry’s general movement toward digital payments.
More than 60% of the company’s Victorian EBTs were required to stop accepting cash directly because they were positioned more than five metres from a supervised service counter. Customers using those terminals must obtain a voucher first, giving venue staff an op
The change may make terminal use slightly less immediate, but its purpose is clear: reduce unsupervised gambling, make it harder for minors to place bets and increase accountability across Tabcorp’s retail network.
For Victorian bettors, the future of retail wagering is becoming more controlled and traceable—but not entirely cash-free.