Hospitality and Racing Newsletter April 2025

Licensed venues urged to prepare for busy Anzac Day long weekend

With Anzac Day falling on a Friday this year, licensed venues across NSW are being urged to prepare for a busy start to the long weekend with large crowds expected to gather at pubs and clubs for the commemoration. 

Venues are reminded to implement appropriate measures to manage increased patron numbers, two-up games and risks related to alcohol service and gambling. 

While no permit is required to host two-up, venues must ensure the coin-tossing contest is conducted in line with its traditional format. 

Inspectors will be active across metropolitan and regional NSW on 25 April to ensure compliance with liquor and gaming laws.

For more information about Anzac Day including two-up rules, visit Anzac Day in NSW.

Hotel fined for operating gaming machines outside approved hours

The licensee of the Markets Hotel has been fined $28,400 following a Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) investigation that uncovered serious breaches of gaming machine laws.

The Markets Hotel licensee was convicted for allowing patrons to play gaming machines outside approved hours over three consecutive weekends in July 2023.

Under the Gaming Machines Act 2001, venues cannot allow patrons to use gaming machines during designated shutdown periods.

L&GNSW conducts regular compliance checks to ensure pubs and clubs adhere to regulations regarding gaming machines shutdown periods and is committed to holding venues accountable to minimise gambling harm.

Read more about the fine

Commencement of the Point of Consumption Tax Audit Campaign for Financial year 2019-2024

In 2019, NSW introduced the Point of Consumption Tax (PoCT) under Part 4 of the Betting Tax Act 2001. This requires Betting Service Providers (BSPs), licensed in Australia, to pay tax on their net NSW wagering revenue when it is more than $1 million for the financial year.  

Audits will be performed on BSPs who accept wagers from NSW residents. The outcome of these audits will be provided to Revenue NSW which may lead to some BSPs being required to pay additional tax. 

Liquor & Gaming NSW will engage with BSPs to identify opportunities to provide support and education which promotes increased compliance in the industry. 

Collective results of the audit campaign will be published and shared with industry bodies. 

Find out more about the audit campaign

Betting provider fined $60,000 for illegal gambling ads

Wagering operator Ryman Racing Pty Ltd, trading as Colossalbet has been convicted and fined a total of $60,000 by a Magistrate at Downing Centre Local Court for posting prohibited gambling advertisements to social media.

It was determined that the ads failed to meet standards of decency, dignity and good taste. The breaches, published by Ryman Racing’s sub-brand PuntHub in October 2023, involved five posts across Facebook and Instagram.

Under the Betting and Racing Act 1998, gambling ads accessible to persons in NSW must adhere to strict requirements designed to protect the community from inappropriate content and potential gambling harm.

The decision highlights the consequences of breaching the state’s gambling advertising laws.

This is the first time a wagering operator in NSW has been prosecuted and convicted for publishing ads which offend standards of decency, dignity and good taste.

Read more about the fine

Office of Responsible Gambling 'Safer gambling, stronger communities' campaign 

The Office of Responsible Gambling has launched the ‘Safer gambling, stronger communities’ campaign which encourages Aboriginal people to reflect on their gambling and adopt strategies to reduce their risk of gambling harm.

The NSW Gambling Survey 2024 found that despite representing only 3.3% of the NSW population, Aboriginal people account for 8.2% of gambling harm and 8.6% of harm to affected others. 

For maximum impact the campaign materials were designed by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people. A group of young Aboriginal filmmakers from the University of Sydney’s Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research were recipients of the Responsible Gambling Fund (RGF) grant program which funded their work. The group created three videos, each targeting a unique audience - males, females, families and young adults. The videos are appearing on Aboriginal-owned platforms like NITV and Aboriginal Health TV and on Spotify until the end of June.
 
Find more information and campaign videos on the GambleAware website.

Special events extended trading 

More licensed venues in regional areas are now eligible for special event extended trading with a greater number of pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants able to stay open later, thanks to the Government’s ongoing efforts to restore vibrancy right across NSW.

Dubbo Winter Whiskey Festival and Casino Beef Week are among the latest regional events where patrons can enjoy a late-night bite to eat and keep festivities going at nearby licensed venues.

Special event extended trading hours* are made available under the Liquor Act 2007 for events of “regional, state or national significance”.

The full list of special events and more information on extended trading can be found at the Special Event Extended Trading web page.

Self-auditing toolkits available in other languages

Liquor & Gaming NSW has collaborated with Multicultural NSW to translate two self-audit checklists into six additional languages.

Self-audit checklists are a valuable tool for licensees and venues to comply with regulatory obligations under liquor laws.

Our aim is to support industry to better understand their obligations through a range of specially designed tools.

The self-auditing checklists relating to On-premises licence and Packaged licence are now available in:

• Arabic
• Chinese simplified
• Chinese traditional
• Korean
• Thai
• Vietnamese

Liquor & Gaming NSW website is on the move! 

Liquor & Gaming NSW is transitioning website content to the NSW Government platform at nsw.gov.au. Content is being moved across in stages, and we’re taking this opportunity to enhance both the quality and usability of the information we provide.

This move is part of our commitment to delivering a more streamlined and user-friendly digital experience.

Looking for something?

During this transition, you may notice some information still hosted on the existing Liquor & Gaming NSW website, while other content has already moved to nsw.gov.au. We understand this may cause some confusion, and we appreciate your understanding.

Thank you for your patience as we work to improve our services. If you encounter any issues or would like to provide feedback, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Get ready for three new Special Entertainment Precincts 

Residents and visitors will be able to enjoy late-night food and entertainment offerings in three newly proposed Special Entertainment Precincts (SEPs): Burwood Town Centre, Canley Heights and Canley Vale. 
 
Burwood and Fairfield councils are the first successful applicants from the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner’s (O24HEC) SEP Kickstart Grant Program – receiving $195,000 and $183,308 respectively to support the establishment of these new SEPs over the coming year.

Learn more about the Precincts

Regulatory Roadshow kicks off in Broken Hill

Hospitality and Racing (H&R) kicked off its 2025 Regulatory Roadshow in March in Broken Hill, bringing together over 50 local license-holders, industry representatives, community groups and Aboriginal leaders. 

Held at the Broken Hill Civic Centre, the event provided an opportunity to discuss liquor and gaming reforms, regulatory priorities and ways to support safe, vibrant hospitality across regional NSW. 

The H&R executive team heard directly from attendees about the unique challenges faced in the region, while also encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing among local stakeholders. 

Keep an eye on our website for future events. We will be heading to Albury in May – registrations now open.

Liquor Accord Forum 2025 Wrap-up

The 2025 Liquor Accord Forum took place on 9 April at the University of Technology Sydney, bringing together 85 liquor accord representatives and licensees from across NSW.

The forum highlighted innovative industry initiatives and provided a valuable space to discuss key challenges, share insights and network with peers. Topics included data privacy, prevention of workplace sexual harassment, multi-venue barring and harnessing the power of partnerships to support the work of accords.

Visit our website for future events, or to join your local liquor accord.

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