About training
Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) training is mandatory if you work with gaming machines.
To do this legally in NSW, you must complete a Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) course from a Liquor & Gaming NSW Approved Training Provider (ATP).
If you're new to the liquor or gaming industry, also see our Get started in training page - which tells you which courses you need to do, depending on your job role and circumstance.
Who should complete this training
RCG training is mandatory if your work duties involve gaming machines. The training applies to:
- Licensees with a full hotel licence
- Secretaries of a registered club
- Directors of registered clubs with gaming machines, unless they have completed Responsible Gambling Board Oversight training (from 30 June 2025)
- Directors of companies that own hotels with gaming machines, who are involved in the operations of hotels (from 30 June 2025)
- Staff with gaming machine duties
- Staff who pay out winnings
- Staff who patrol or serve in a gaming machine area
- Responsible Gambling Officers (RGOs)
- Any person planning to enrol in Advanced Responsible Conduct of Gambling (ARCG) training
What you'll learn
The Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) training is the foundation that qualifies you to carry out work in relation to gaming machines.
The RCG course is designed to
- clarify the roles, responsibilities and expectations of working with gaming machines, as well as the laws relating to responsible gambling practices
- provide a clear idea of what is expected of you in the workplace
- provide a greater understanding of how you as a staff member can promote responsible gambling behaviours and minimise gambling harm in gaming venues.
Course structure and format
RCG courses may be offered in both a classroom setting (face to face) or virtual, online.
The RCG course covers:
- Gambling in Australia and NSW
- Defining and understanding gambling harm
- Responsible gambling and harm minimisation measures
- Interacting with patrons and the ‘RAAR’ framework
- Responsible conduct of gambling in practice
Course materials
View the current RCG course participant workbook.
Also see our full range of RCG training resources
Interview footage with problem gamblers and counsellors can be accessed on the GambleAware YouTube channel. Help for problem gamblers is available at GambleAware.
How to apply
Responsible Conduct of Gambling training is only available through Liquor & Gaming NSW Approved Training Providers (ATP).
Find a provider to enrol in, access, and do the course.
Find an Approved Training Provider
The cost of RCG training varies between providers. Course costs can be discussed directly with ATPs. The amount includes the cost of your NSW competency card (see below, What you get at the end).
Online assessment
To obtain a Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) competency under the new RCG training framework, you need to
- complete an RCG course with an Approved Training Provider (see information above) and
- pass the L&GNSW RCG online assessment.
The new online assessment ensures consistency and integrity of the RCG assessment process across NSW.
You must successfully complete the assessment before you can get your RCG Interim Certificate. An RCG Interim Certificate is needed to work in duties that involve gaming machines in NSW.
Accessing the RCG Online Assessment
Please ensure you provided your current email address and mobile number when enrolling in the course. This will ensure you receive a copy of the assessment, as follows:
- Once you complete the RCG course with an Approved Training Provider (ATP) they will lodge the course with Liquor & Gaming NSW.
- You’ll then receive an email from us with a link to access your assessment.
- You also should receive an SMS with a link to access the assessment.
- To launch the assessment: Click on the link in the email or SMS.
No further email or SMS reminder will be sent to you.
If you have not received the assessment, or need to change your contact details, please see Troubleshooting: Contact details below.
When to do the assessment
- You should complete your online assessment as soon as you can, after receiving the email notification (see previous step).
- While there’s no specific time limit to completing the assessment, you must finish it before you can get your RCG Interim Certificate. An RCG Interim Certificate is needed to work in duties that involve gaming machines in NSW.
- The onus is on you as the student to complete the assessment in your own time. No further email or SMS reminders will be sent to you.
How to do the assessment
- Do the assessment on your desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet
- Don’t refresh your browser before you finish the assessment.
- The online assessment consists of 25 questions, mostly multiple choice and multiple answer questions. It provides unlimited attempts to successfully answer each question as you go. You must correctly answer all 25 questions to pass the assessment.
- Refer to your RCG Participant Workbook as you go.
- As you work through the module
- carefully read the information provided.
- Follow the instructions and any pop-up prompts.
- If you leave the assessment or lose connection, you will be taken back to where you left off when you go back in again. Again, be careful not to refresh your browser before finishing.
Troubleshooting: Contact details
If you haven’t received your email and link for the assessment, you should check
- that your Approved Training Provider has lodged your course with L&GNSW
- your junk or spam folders
- if there are any issues or changes to your email address.
If you are still unable to locate the email, contact L&GNSW at competency.card@liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au for assistance.
If you received the assessment – but still need to update contact details
- Please check your remaining contact details on the page that appears after you successfully complete all the assessment questions in the RCG online assessment module.
- If these contact details have changed since, or don’t exactly match the primary ID you have brought in to apply for your card, you can ask the Service NSW customer service representative to update your details when you get there.
- If you already hold a competency card, you do not need to attend a Service NSW service centre. Update your contact details online using your MyServiceNSW account, email competency.card@liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au, or call Service NSW on T: 1300 024 720, Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm.
After the assessment
See Responsible Conduct of Gambling course information above for information on receiving your interim certificate and your competency card.
What you get at the end
Once you successfully completed the RCG course and assessment
- You'll get an interim certificate via email. This certificate is valid for 90 days and allows you to work immediately with gaming machines.
- If you already have a competency card: Your new card with the RCG endorsement will be automatically added to both the physical and digital versions of your card, and sent immediately.
- If you don't have a competency card:
- Take your interim certificate and 100 points of ID to a Service NSW centre to complete a Proof of Identity check.
- After your Proof of Identity check at Service NSW, you can get a digital version of your competency card via the Service NSW Mobile App.
- Your new (hard copy) card will be mailed to you within four weeks.
- Digital Competency Cards: You can obtain a digital competency card via the Service NSW Mobile App. You can download the mobile app from the App Store or Google Play. Visit Service NSW to learn more about the NSW Digital Competency card.
Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) Refresher
You are required to renew your NSW RCG endorsement every five years by completing the online RCG Refresher course.
Who should complete this training
Anyone who wants to retain their RCG endorsement should complete the RCG Refresher course.
Training needs to be refreshed every 5 years to maintain your competency card.
Read through the following to find out how and when you need to do the refresher course.
What you'll learn
The new RCG refresher course covers the following topics:
- The Australian and NSW gambling environment
- Problem and at-risk gambling
- Legal and ethical responsibilities of staff
- Staff interactions with patrons.
How to apply and complete the course
Be aware of when your NSW competency card is due to expire. The expiry date is on the front of your card.
You should receive a notification from us about the refresher course if you've provided up to date contact details:
- We'll notify you by email or phone 90 days before your competency expires - reminding you to complete an online refresher training course.
- If we don’t have your current contact details, update them at Service NSW
- If you don’t receive a reminder 90 days before your card expiry, contact Liquor & Gaming NSW so we can update our records and give you access to the refresher course.
Cost: You only have to pay the cost of issuing a new competency card (not the course cost) with the renewed competency. Refer to the Fee Schedule.
Note: Completing a full course through an Approved Training Provider prior to the expiry of your competency card will not extend the expiry date on your current card.
- If you already have a digital competency card, your competency will automatically update once you’ve completed the Refresher course.
- If you don’t have a digital competency card, you can obtain one via the Service NSW app. The app is
Visit Service NSW to learn more about the NSW Digital Competency card.
Updated competency card
After you complete the Refresher course, your competency card will be updated and:
- be automatically available in your Service NSW app if you have a digital competency card. The app is available from iTunes® or the Google Play™ store. Once you have the app, you’ll need your competency card holder number to add your competency.
- sent to your nominated address via mail. Please allow up to one month for its physical delivery.
Visit the Competency Card Self Service Portal to update contact details, renew with a renewal number, or to order replacements for lost or stolen cards.
Visit Service NSW to learn more about the NSW digital competency card.
Training resources and videos
You can access resources related to the courses on this page via: