Liquor promotions

This page outlines the responsibilities of licensees in NSW for conducting liquor promotions that minimise alcohol-related harm. It highlights key principles, such as avoiding excessive drinking and ensuring community alignment. Non-compliance can lead to investigations, restrictions, and fines.

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Licensees have responsibilities associated with running liquor promotions.

Liquor promotions should not:

  • encourage irresponsible, rapid or excessive consumption of alcohol
  • have special appeal to minors
  • be indecent or offensive
  • be out of step with general community standards.

The liquor promotion guidelines list 7 principles for running promotions responsibly in NSW.

The guidelines also help to set standards for licensees to follow by providing examples of unacceptable promotional practices and provide information on steps that can be taken to minimise the risk of harm.

What happens if my promotion doesn’t comply with the guidelines?

If you run a liquor promotion or activity that may be considered ‘undesirable’ it can be actively investigated by Liquor & Gaming NSW

Typically, Liquor and Gaming NSW will first contact the licensee to seek an explanation when there are concerns that standards are not being met and may request changes or withdrawal of the promotion.

If any concerns are not addressed then the Secretary, or a Liquor & Gaming NSW delegate, can ban or restrict any promotion or activity considered to be undesirable by issuing a written notice under section 102 of the Liquor Act 2007.

Section 102A can also be used, which allows the Secretary to restrict or prohibit any activities likely to encourage the misuse or abuse of liquor.

If a licensee does not comply with a ban or restriction, they face fines of up to $5500.

What promotions do the guidelines apply to?

NSW licensees should be mindful that the guidelines apply to all types of promotional activities by all licensees.   

This includes: 

  • inside the venue – for example, signs, posters, games, or special deals 
  • traditional advertising – for example, flyers, newspaper ads, or posters in public places 
  • online and digital promotions – for example, anything on the internet or through apps. 

Some examples of online or digital promotions include: 

  • your venue’s website 
  • social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter) 
  • messaging apps (for example, WhatsApp, Messenger) 
  • blogs and podcasts 
  • YouTube videos 
  • email or SMS marketing 
  • online ads or banners 
  • smartphone apps. 

Harm minimisation measures

It is in a licensee’s interest to ensure promotions have harm minimisation measures in place, to help ensure liquor is consumed responsibly and to promote safe environments for patrons.

Examples of harm minimisation measures that may be appropriate include:

On-premises environment

  • using RSA marshals to check and manage patrons during promotions
  • clearly displaying signs disclosing the alcohol content of mixed drinks served to customers
  • serving free food and water as part of the promotion
  • ensuring alcohol content is measured and discernible
  • restrict the number of promotions running over a single trading period.

Take-away environment

  • put limits on how coupons can be used, such as limiting how much alcohol can be purchased and/or restricting their use to one per person.

Online sales environment

All licensed environments

Unacceptable liquor promotions

Examples of liquor promotions that are unacceptable
PrinciplesExamples of unacceptable promotions
1The promotion must not have special appeal to minors.

Promotions that:

  • use characters, imagery, motifs, naming or designs that would appeal to minors
  • include merchandise that primarily appeals to minors.
  • Use interactive games or technology that would appeal to minors
  • use images of people that look under 18 years of age that suggest they are or have been consuming liquor or may be about to.
2The promotion must not be indecent or offensive.

Promotions that:

  • use images, including of human bodies, that may be considered offensive to a reasonable adult
  • offer free or discounted drinks for participating in an activity that may be offensive to a reasonable adult present on the premises, for example encouraging participants to remove articles of clothing
  • use insulting or offensive language
  • use any form of discriminatory, demeaning or vilifying language or imagery
  • use sexual, degrading or sexist images, symbols figures or innuendo.
3The promotion must not involve non-standard measures that encourage irresponsible drinking.

Promotions that:

  • encourage the consumption of liquor in a yard glass for skolling
  • encourage the consumption of laybacks, slammers, blasters, bombs or consumption from a water pistol or test tubes with no stand
  • encourage an individual to purchase and consume on their own an alcoholic drink intended to be shared (that is, a drink containing a significant number of standard drinks)
  • encourage the consumption of multiple shooters or shots by an individual.
4The promotion should not use emotive descriptions or advertising that encourages irresponsible drinking.

Promotions that:

  • promote events which focus primarily on the excessive consumptions of alcohol (for example, ‘Mad Monday’).
  • use language, labelling or titling that suggests irresponsible or excessive consumption of alcohol (for example, ‘drink like a fish’, ‘beat the clock’ and challenges to drink within certain timeframes).
  • engage a person who, as part of the promotion, enthusiastically talks up excessive consumption of alcohol beverages, encourages intoxication or irresponsible or illegal behaviour.
5The promotion should not involve the provision of free drinks or extreme discounts, or discounts for a limited duration that creates an incentive for patrons to consume liquor rapidly.

Promotions that:

  • provide free drinks that encourage rapid consumption of alcohol (for example, all you can drink in a limited time frame)
  • use drink cards, promotional cards, vouchers or shopper dockets which encourage rapid consumption of alcohol over a short period of time (for example, $50 voucher redeemable between 9pm and 10pm)
  • offer happy hours encouraging or facilitating the rapid consumption of alcohol
  • link the consumption of alcohol to unpredictable events (for example, free drinks until the first points scored).
6The promotion should not encourage irresponsible, rapid or excessive consumption of liquor.

Promotions that involve:

  • the use of drink ware which encourages rapid consumption, such as test tubes, water pistols and yard glasses
  • drinking games, competitions, challenges, dares, scoreboards, lotteries, or games of chance that involve the rapid or excessive consumption of liquor
  • these could include skolling games, boat races, flip and win, ‘around the world’, ‘60 shots in 60 minutes’ and pub golf.
7The promotion should not be otherwise considered to not be in the public interest.

Promotions that:

  • use images or messages that could be seen to be encouraging or condoning breaking the law or other anti-social behaviour
  • use images or messages that link the promotion of alcohol with illicit drugs or allude to drug taking behaviour
  • associate liquor consumption with aggressive or violent behaviour towards other people
  • include discriminatory elements into a promotion such as a gender-based free drinks or discount (for example, ‘women drink free’).
Download Liquor promotion guidelines GL4001 PDF 241.27KB File last updated on: 26 March 2025.

Make a complaint about a liquor promotion

Use the online feedback formor contact us on 1300 024 720.

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