Gaming self-exclusion

In NSW, all gambling venues must offer a self-exclusion scheme.

As an operator, y​​ou must also provide the following information in all areas where you keep gaming machines:

• the name and contact of the problem gambling counselling service
• a statement that tells patrons a self-exclusion scheme is available
• details for the person or organisation who can help patrons to join your scheme.

The NSW Government is aiming to help people who are concerned about their gambling practices by providing them with an option to stop gambling for a set period of time, where this will be enforced by the venue.

The law allows venue operators to devise their own scheme to cater for their particular setting and customers. This gives you, as a licensee more flexibility in how you support people who want to control or stop gambling

Self-exclusion schemes are more effective if participants also get counselling and treatment for their gambling-related problems.

Your venue must have the name and contact details of a problem gambling counselling service available to patrons – and each participant in a self-exclusion scheme – at all times.

Your venue can run its own scheme if it meets the minimum requirements set by the Gaming Machines Regulation 2019, which only applies to hotels and clubs.

Your venue can also use a provider, which may include some counselling services financed by the Responsible Gambling Fund.

Examples of providers include:

• Betsafe
• ClubSafe - operated by ClubsNSW
• any other body that receives funding from the Responsible Gambling Fund to provide gambling-related counselling or treatment services.

The only condition is that the scheme you use must meet the requirements of the Gaming Machines Regulation 2019.

Minimum requirements for a self-exclusion scheme

Your self-exclusion scheme must:

• tell patrons that you have a scheme available
• give patrons information about how your scheme operates
• prevent you from refusing a patron's request to participate
• allow your patrons to specify the part(s) of your venue from which they want to be excluded
• give participants a written and signed undertaking that you will not allow them to gamble at your venue for a specified period
• give participants an opportunity to get independent legal or other professional advice about what the agreement means before they start
• give participants written details about the gambling-related counselling service your venue has an arrangement with
• make sure that responsible people at your venue can identify the participant – by a recent photograph or otherwise
• stop a participant withdrawing from the scheme within six months of asking to be involved.

People with problems with gambling who want to exclude themselves from hotels and clubs must sign a self-exclusion agreement not to gamble in your venue for a specified period. This condition does not apply to the casino. The casino operator issues exclusion notifications to people who request them.

A hotel, club, and casino and its employees have indemnity against civil or criminal liability for anything they do to fulfil a self-exclusion scheme – provided they act in good faith and within the law.

Licensees and staff can use reasonable force to:

• prevent a self-exclusion participant from entering a nominated area
• remove a participant who refuses to leave a nominated area
• additional requirements apply to the casino operator, who must remove a self-excluded person from the casino.