The government says there will be a process for venues wishing to retain variations, but applications will need to meet “new tougher guidelines”
Australia.- The New South Wales government has announced the end of long-standing exemptions that allowed pubs and clubs to keep electronic gaming machines (EGM) running outside mandated hours. The changes, announced today (December 1) by the Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) and racing and gaming minister David Harris, will take effect from March 31, 2026.
Under current law, licensed venues in New South Wales are required to respect a six-hour shutdown window between 4am and 10am, which is intended as a harm minimisation measure. However, more than 670 pubs and clubs have long had exemptions, which were often granted for reasons such as being located in high-traffic tourist areas, having a history of earlier opening hours or claiming financial hardship.
The decision to revoke these exemptions follows a 2023 report, The Impact of electronic gaming machine (EGM) late-night play on EGM player behaviour, which found that 70.5 per cent of gamblers playing between 4am and 10am are classified as high-risk or moderate-risk. A 2024 L&GNSW-commissioned review concluded that a minimum six-hour shutdown was effective at reducing harm, and found no evidence to support extending the shutdown period or changing its start time.
The government says there will be a process for venues wishing to retain variations, but applications will need to meet “new tougher guidelines” and will be judged by the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority.
The revocation follows other reforms, including the reduction of the cash-input limit for new machines from AU$5,000 to AU$500.
Harris said: “The Minns Labor Government takes gambling harm minimisation seriously and these changes are a continuation of measures we are making to protecting people in NSW who are experiencing harm.
“Following months of review, it is clear the 20-year-old variations enabling more than 670 clubs and pubs with gaming machines to operate outside of the mandated hours were no longer fit for purpose. So I have acted to revoke these variations and update the application process, in a phased way, so that venues can still make their case to vary their hours.
The government says there will be a process for venues wishing to retain variations, but applications will need to meet “new tougher guidelines” Australia.- The New South Wales government has…
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