Tasmania may implement facial recognition technology to identify self-excluded problem gamblers and a smart card playing system as part of landmark poker machine reforms.
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Legislation to end Federal Group's exclusive ownership of electronic gaming machines in the state, something it has held since 1973, was tabled in state parliament on Tuesday.
The laws would give ownership of pokies to individual pubs and clubs, and change tax rates on the machines and Keno.
The state Liberal government says the new arrangement will leave Federal Group $25 million worse off per year, but critics claim a rare opportunity to implement greater harm minimisation measures is being missed.
On Tuesday, Finance Minister Michael Ferguson announced the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission would investigate harm minimisation measures.
"I will be directing the commission to provide a report including options, costs and benefits, and implementation mechanisms for ... facial recognition technology in hotels, clubs and casinos ... (and) a smart card-based client identification system," he said in a statement.
The commission will also explore options for a smart card system where gamblers could put limits on their losses in advance.
The Labor opposition on Tuesday said it wanted the same two harm minimisation measures to become law.
"Labor will also adopt a policy to introduce Registered Gaming Officers to better support workers and therefore problem gamblers," finance spokesman Dean Winter said.
Anti-pokies campaigner and independent upper house MP Meg Webb accused the major parties of cooking up a deal and ignoring more effective harm minimisation measures.
"Facial recognition will only be relevant to the tip, of the tip, of the iceberg of people who are addicted to pokies and are being harmed," she told The Examiner newspaper.
The facial recognition technology, which has been used in New Zealand and South Australia, would identify people who have excluded themselves from gambling. .
The bill is expected to be debated on Thursday in the lower house, where the Liberals hold a majority.
It faces a trickier passage through the 15-member upper house, made up of six independents, five Labor members and four Liberals.
The future of poker machines in Tasmania has proven a divisive issue.
The Liberals took a pledge to end Federal Group's monopoly to the 2018 state poll but didn't release the proposed new tax rate until July, two months after its third-straight election win.
Labor campaigned on banning pokies statewide in the lead up to their 2018 loss but have since dropped the policy.
Federal independent MP Andrew Wilkie has called for greater harm minimisation measures, such as $1 maximum bet limits and doubling the time it takes to play a game.
Federal Group, which owns Tasmania's two casinos plus 12 pubs in the state, made revenue of $108 million in 2018/19.
Australian Associated Press
