Liquor & Gaming NSW targeting social media influencers promoting gambling products
Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) is putting gambling operators on notice that social media influencers are a key focus of its regulatory priorities for 2026.
L&GNSW is responsible for monitoring online wagering and gaming machine advertising visible to the NSW community, including posts on social media, to ensure they comply with NSW laws.
Hospitality and Racing Deputy Secretary Tarek Barakat said with the rise of social media influencers promoting gambling, it was important businesses including online bookmakers and gaming machine operators understood the law and their responsibilities.
“We are putting gambling operators on notice that a key priority for us this year is examining their marketing and customer retention practices, including the use of social media personalities,” Mr Barakat said.
“Gambling operators should be careful about any affiliate or partnership arrangements as we are holding them responsible for the advertising of their products.
“The things we are targeting include paid and unpaid promotional partnerships with wagering operators and gaming machine operators, influencer content that normalises betting behaviour or glamorises gaming products, and in particular, the use of platforms, including podcasts, with large youth or vulnerable audiences.
“These practices may increase the risk of gambling harm by blurring the line between entertainment and marketing, and by exposing at‑risk groups to persuasive promotional content.
“L&GNSW will require social media content creators to demonstrate that their social media and website content complies with legal requirements.
“We also work with other responsible agencies as required to ensure people abide by the law and gambling harm is minimised.”
Mr Barakat said other 2026 regulatory priorities are targeting:
- barriers to closing gambling accounts, VIP or loyalty programs and other marketing practices, including direct advertising used by casino and gaming venue operators
- casino governance and integrity
- alcohol-related harm hotspots, including areas experiencing increasing rates of alcohol-related crime and high-risk events.
By publishing its annual regulatory priorities, L&GNSW aims to communicate the key regulatory issues that it is addressing and provide industry with an opportunity to proactively modify or cease behaviour that may raise concerns.
To read more about L&GNSW’s Strategy and Regulatory Priorities, go to our Hospitality and Racing Strategy 2026-28 webpage.
Background information
The Betting & Racing Act 1998 (NSW) outlines laws around gambling advertisements. These include a ban on inducements to gamble and advertisements that are false, misleading or deceptive, including suggesting that winning will be a definite outcome of participating in gambling activities, or that participation in gambling activities is likely to improve a person’s financial prospects.
Betting companies must ensure people they engage for advertising purposes, including social media influencers, do not breach the Betting & Racing Act requirements in their posted content. Individuals can be fined up to $11,000 (100 units) and companies up to $110,000 (1000 units) if they break the law.
The Gaming Machines Act 2001 (NSW) also prohibits any person publishing advertising that draws attention to the presence of electronic gaming machines in pubs and clubs, and there are similar rules applying to casinos. If social media influencers are filming themselves gambling at venues and posting it on social media, they could be in breach of this law and face penalties of up to $11,000 (100 units).