Conducting wagering activities

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Responsibilities

Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) expects all licensed betting service providers to:

Comply with all relevant regulations. This includes giving consideration to the policy intent.
Meet community expectations by not conducting themselves in a manner that could cause harm.

Providers who fail to meet their regulatory obligations may face enforcement action, including:

penalty notices
cancellation of electronic betting authorities
referrals to racing bodies or other regulators.

Liquor & Gaming NSW expects providers to stop any harmful conduct immediately.

Liquor & Gaming NSW promotes voluntary compliance but will escalate enforcement action in cases of:

serious harm
repeated or ongoing breaches
misconduct inconsistent with public expectations.

Also see our pages on

Gambling advertising

There are restrictions on gambling advertising in NSW, especially for sports wagering.

Visit the Gambling advertising resource page for rules, guidance materials and compliance information.

Who can offer wagering in NSW

Wagering on racing, sport and declared betting events in NSW may be conducted by:

TAB Limited, and
other licensed betting service providers, based in NSW or interstate.

TAB Limited is:

licensed under the Totalizator Act 1997 to conduct totalizator and fixed-odds wagering
the exclusive provider of off-course retail betting services in NSW.

Bookmaker licences and approvals

Licensed betting service providers may operate on racecourses with approval from the relevant racing controlling body.

Only individuals or proprietary companies may apply to conduct betting on-course.

With the right approvals, betting service providers may also offer:

betting from an office on a racecourse
off-course betting from approved premises
phone and electronic betting
betting on declared events.

Providers may need approvals from both Liquor & Gaming NSW and racing controlling bodies.

Types of wagering authorities and how to apply

In this section you can learn about:

Telephone, electronic and declared betting authorities.
Applying for declared betting events or bet types.
Additional requirements for sporting events.

Telephone, electronic and declared betting authorities

Racing controlling bodies are responsible for licensing bookmakers to accept and make bets in NSW. Racing controlling bodies include:

Racing NSW
Harness Racing NSW
Greyhound Welfare Integrity Commission

Licensed bookmakers may carry on the business of bookmaking on-course (at licensed racecourses) or off-course (at other premises approved by the relevant racing controlling body).

Under the Betting and Racing Act 1998, the Minister for Gaming and Racing may authorise licensed bookmakers to conduct:

telephone betting
electronic betting
betting on declared events.

How to apply

Licensed bookmakers may apply to the Minister for Gaming and Racing for approval to conduct betting on declared betting events and/or to accept bets electronically and by phone. Applications for declared betting, telephone and electronic betting authorities can be submitted by email to the Liquor & Gaming NSW Probity & Approvals team at gaming.probity@liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au

Applicants must include:

Name and address of individual applying
Company name (if applicable)
ABN
ACN
licensing racing controlling body
type of authorities you are requesting
any additional supporting information.

If relevant, also provide:

betting operation location
whether the premises are publicly accessible
details of systems used for phone or electronic betting
staff presence during operations
website/app details, including:
- name and web address
- privacy policy and code of practice
- cancellation and responsible gambling policies
any integrity-related concerns
Details of any guarantees held.

Liquor and Gaming NSW may request more information and will liaise with the relevant racing control body during assessment.

Applying for declared betting events or bet types

Licensed betting service providers (including TAB Limited) may apply to the Minister for Gaming and Raing to:

Declare a new event or class of events as a declared betting even. It can be any type of sporting or other event but does not include racing events.
Permit a new type of bet on an existing declared betting event.

The Minister can also approve or limit the types of bets allowed. For example, head-to-head, points margin, individual performance bet types.

Also see:

What you need to include

A rationale for the event or bet type.
Evidence that betting is permitted in other jurisdictions, if applicable.
Any additional relevant information.

The Minister will assess applications based on:

public interest and risk of gambling harm
event integrity
views of stakeholders (such as sports administrators).

Additional requirements for sporting events

If your application involves a sporting event, you must meet additional requirements depending on whether the event is overseen by a prescribed sports controlling body.

See List of approved sports controlling bodies and the events they oversee.

If the event is overseen by a sports controlling body

You must provide:

a copy of the integrity agreement between the body and the bookmaker
details of your consultation with the body, including their support or objections.

Under the Betting and Racing Act 1998, the Minister must not approve an application if the sports controlling body opposes it.

If no sports controlling body oversees the event

You must provide:

the names of key individuals or organisations administering the event
if in Australia, evidence of consultation with those parties and a summary of outcomes.

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