The new $10 note has failed another test – registering as just $5 when put into poker machines – almost a month after its nationwide release.
Unwary gamblers could be losing half their stakes if they do not notice that some older machines rack up only $5 in credit when the $10 note is inserted.
Nathan McDonald, general manager of the Shakespeare Hotel in Sydney’s inner-city Surry Hills, learnt of the problem on Monday morning.
‘I was very surprised,’ Mr McDonald said. ‘It’s something I’d think would have been thought of after what happened with the $5 note.’
A new $10 is about to be fed into a More Chilli poker machine at the Shakespeare Hotel
Shakespeare Hotel general manager Nathan McDonald at a More Chilli poker machine
As the new $10 note is inserted into a More Chilli poker machine it displays $0.00 in credit
As soon as the new $10 note was accepted by the poker machine it showed credit of just $5
Difficulties with new bank notes – such as the issue of the $5 bill last year – normally arise from a machine not accepting it as legal tender, rather than recognising it as a lesser denomination.
One punter noticed the problem when he put a new $10 note into a More Chilli poker machine at the Shakespeare on Sunday night. The machine took the note but credited him just $5.
When Mr McDonald was alerted to what happened on Monday morning he experimented with brand new notes in several other machines.
While the newer machines did not accept the notes, an older 5 Dragons machine did the same thing as the More Chilli pokie. Technicians from the machines’ manufacturer, Aristocrat Gaming, were updating the software.
Daily Mail Australia understands the problem has occurred with machines in at least one other Sydney venue.
The new notes have already been spat out by vending machines and some supermarket self-service checkouts in a repeat of the introduction of the replacement $5 bill last year.
The Reserve Bank of Australia printed 200 million of the notes which feature significant changes which make it harder to counterfeit as well as tiny embossed bumps to aid the vision-impaired.
The new note still features Australian writers ‘AB’ Banjo Paterson and Dame Mary Gilmore
The replacement of the old $5 note (pictured) last year caused problems with poker machines
Before the roll-out began betting giant Tabcorp raised concerns there could be a delay in distributing the new notes from its automated terminals.
Early tests found the note rejected by TAB facilities and swallowed by a vending machine but accepted by OPAL top-up terminals.
Gaming Technologies Association chief Ross Ferrar said at the time of the note’s release new poker machines would be built to accept it, but note readers would need to be updated on older machines.
Lindsay Boulton, the RBA’s assistant governor for business services, said last month businesses had been given six months to prepare for the new notes.
The Shakespeare Hotel where two poker machines registered new $10 notes as $5 credit
The new $10 note features improved security measures including a see-through strip
Coles supermarket self-serve checkouts were ready for the introduction of the new $10 note
Vending machine operator Carlo Furnari told Daily Mail Australia at the time there was a ‘learning curve’ adapting to new notes, as was shown when the new $5 note came into circulation.
‘It was a bit of a pain, but we’ve done it once, there’s experience from the last time.’
Similar to the redesigned $5 note, the new $10 note has a clear top-to-bottom window, a feature which the Reserve Bank said would improve security and prevent fake notes from being circulated.
Key aspects of the existing look of the $10 note were retained, including the light blue colour, size and faces of two Australian writers, Dame Mary Gilmore and AB ‘Banjo’ Paterson.
Existing $10 notes can still be used, and all previously issued banknotes remain legal tender.
The new $10 note (right) has a similar look but security features not present in the old (left)