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Every poker machine in NSW will be cashless within five years under an ambitious plan to overhaul the gaming industry, which is warning of potential job losses and significant costs.

The controversial package passed a snap meeting of state cabinet on Sunday.

"It's not about being a wowser, this is about looking after the vulnerable," NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet told business leaders on Monday.

"This is about stopping money laundering and at the same time ensuring our nightlife in the city and our pubs and clubs thrive with entertainment and live music."

Pubs and clubs will be incentivised to diversify away from pokies with no-interest loans and one-off grants of $50,000 to invest in new income streams such as live music and food.

A team headed by Department of NSW Premier and Cabinet secretary Michael Coutts-Trotter will implement a plan to remove cash from pokies between 2024 and 2028.

Gamblers will have self-imposed spending limits, which can be altered and the implementation team will consider daily limits.

No personal data will be collected or retained by the government or pubs and clubs.

The plan was welcomed by key independent crossbencher Alex Greenwich.

"Now is the moment," he said.

"I'm looking forward to the full release of the government's plan, and hope the opposition will join this multi-partisan push for reform."

But the body representing registered clubs - which operate 64,000 pokies - raised concern about the "significant costs and technical challenges" of turning pokies cashless.

"We're particularly concerned about the implications for small, regional clubs and the impact this will have on jobs across the industry," ClubsNSW said.

The industry group said it remained committed to tackling problem gambling and keeping criminals out of venues.

Charity Wesley Mission was disappointed at the timeline to implement the cashless pokies policy.

"We still believe that, based on both evidence and expert advice, the full implementation of mandatory cashless gaming is possible in the next parliamentary term (before April 2027)," chief executive Stu Cameron said.

Problem gambling has become a major election issue after a NSW Crime Commission report found billions of dollars in dirty money was being laundered through machines every year.

Two in every five poker machines globally were in NSW after the previous Labor government turned pubs and clubs into "mini-casinos", Mr Perrottet said.

"That transition will be difficult, but I've committed completely with industry that I'll work very closely to get that done," he said.

"A sign of any great society is how it looks after its most vulnerable people."

Labor has promised to introduce mandatory trials for 500 of the state's 95,000 poker machines, with leader Chris Minns cautious about implementing mandatory change without more evidence it will work.

© AAP 2023

An international tourist who survived a mid-air collision between two helicopters on the Gold Coast has described the moment he realised something was wrong.

Edward and Marle Swart were visiting the Queensland holiday spot from New Zealand with friends Riaan and Elmarie Steenberg, but had not planned on taking the scenic flight.

"It was one of the last things we would have done ... but I mean it was a good price, five minutes, what could go wrong?" Mr Swart told 60 Minutes on Sunday night.

Footage taken from inside the helicopter shows Mr Swart trying to get the pilot's attention before it collides with a second aircraft taking off from the Sea World theme park.

"I noticed the helicopter on the landing pad and it was sitting there and the rotors were going and you don't think much of it," Mr Swart said.

"As we turned left to go back and come down to land, that's when I saw it took off, and that's when I tried to reach the pilot to grab his attention to tell him 'listen, there's another helicopter coming our way', but it was just too quick."

"It was just chaos."

British couple Ron and Diane Hughes, pilot Ashley Jenkinson and Australian woman Vanessa Tadros were killed in the January 2 collision.

Ms Tadros's 10-year-old son Nicholas was critically injured and remains in hospital.

Victorian mother Winnie de Silva, 33, and her nine-year-old son Leon are also recovering from injuries sustained in the crash.

The pilot of the second chopper, Michael James, managed to land his aircraft , but he and his four passengers were injured by flying glass when its windshield shattered.

Air Transport Safety Bureau investigators are not expected to complete their probe into the accident until September 2024.

© AAP 2023

Every poker machine in NSW will be cashless within five years under an ambitious plan to overhaul the gaming industry.

The contentious package passed a snap meeting of state cabinet on Sunday.

"It's not about being a wowser, this is about looking after the vulnerable," NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet told business leaders on Monday.

"This is about stopping money laundering and at the same time ensuring our nightlife in the city and our pubs and clubs thrive with entertainment and live music."

Pubs and clubs will be incentivised to diversify away from pokies with no-interest loans and one-off grants of $50,000 to invest in new income streams such as live music and food.

A team headed by Department of NSW Premier and Cabinet secretary Michael Coutts-Trotter will implement a plan to remove cash from pokies between 2024 and 2028.

Gamblers will have self-imposed spending limits, which can be altered and the implementation team will consider daily limits.

No personal data will be collected or retained by the government or pubs and clubs.

The plan was welcomed by key independent crossbencher Alex Greenwich.

"Now is the moment," he said.

"I'm looking forward to the full release of the government's plan, and hope the opposition will join this multi-partisan push for reform."

Problem gambling has become a major election issue after a NSW Crime Commission report found billions of dollars in dirty money was being laundered through machines every year.

Two in every five poker machines globally were in NSW after the previous Labor government turned pubs and clubs into "mini-casinos", Mr Perrottet said.

"That transition will be difficult, but I've committed completely with industry that I'll work very closely to get that done," he said.

"A sign of any great society is how it looks after its most vulnerable people."

Labor has promised to introduce mandatory trials for 500 of the state's 90,000 poker machines, with leader Chris Minns cautious about implementing mandatory change without more evidence it will work.

© AAP 2023