“I know that the industry, the technology, and the department are ready for a cashless gaming trial, which leaves me wondering what the hold up could possibly be?” he asked.

Opposition gaming spokesperson, Kevin Anderson, said the government needed to provide a new timeline and explain the delays in greater detail. “It doesn’t give you much confidence in the government’s cashless card trial if it can’t even establish a panel to oversee its implementation.”

“This has all the hallmarks of the gambling industry running interference to delay the implementation of this trial,” she said. The state Greens’ gambling spokesperson, Cate Faehrmann, said the delay showed the influence of the powerful clubs lobby was “alive and kicking” in the new parliament. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup They will be asked to report on the trial after a year before it is expanded. The panel will include members of the industry and law enforcement, as well as health and gambling experts and academics. “We are in the final stages of putting the independent panel and a robust trial together, and we will have more to say about these changes over the next couple of weeks.”

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