NSW revokes more than 650 gaming machine shutdown exemptions

Venues must comply with a six-hour daily shutdown from April 1.

Australia.- The New South Wales Government has revoked more than 650 gaming machine shutdown exemptions across pubs and clubs. Following a December announcement by Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris, venues that previously operated under varied shutdown hours will be required to comply with the state’s standard six-hour shutdown period between 4am and 10am from April 1.

The measure affects more than 650 venues that had been allowed to run gaming machines for shorter shutdown periods, often three hours. In some cases, the exemptions had been in place for more than two decades. They were originally granted for reasons such as tourism activity, earlier opening traditions or financial hardship.

According to Liquor & Gaming NSW, 649 exemptions have been revoked under delegation from the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority, with an additional 10 revoked directly by the authority. Some 62 venues applied to retain their exemptions, but all 49 applications assessed so far have been denied. Thirteen venues remain under assessment with final decisions expected by March 31.

Liquor & Gaming NSW said a compliance campaign will be conducted after April 1 to ensure venues adhere to the new requirements. The decision follows a 2024 Review of the Gaming Machine Shutdown Hours Framework, which concluded that a minimum six-hour shutdown beginning no later than 4am is effective in reducing gambling harm by providing players with a mandatory break in play.

The reform forms part of a broader package of gambling harm-minimisation measures introduced by the Minns Labor Government. These include reducing cash input limits on new gaming machines from AU$5,000 to AU$500, lowering the statewide cap on gaming machine entitlements, banning political donations from clubs with gaming machines, and restricting gambling-related signage visible from outside venues.

Additional measures include the introduction of Responsible Gambling Officers in venues with more than 20 gaming machines, mandatory Gaming Plans of Management and Gambling Incident Registers, and a ban on gambling advertising across public transport networks.

The government has also launched consultation on a third-party exclusion scheme and the potential use of mandatory facial recognition technology to support a statewide exclusion register, alongside a new code of practice governing the use of facial recognition technology in pubs and clubs.

Harris said: “The Minns Labor Government takes gambling harm minimisation seriously and that’s why I called for a review of the gaming machine variations back in December that has removed outdated exemptions that enabled more than 650 pubs and clubs to operate gaming machines during standard shutdown hours.

“Following months of review, it was clear these variations enabling about 20 per cent of clubs and pubs with gaming machines to operate outside of the mandated hours, some of which were more than 20 years old, were no longer fit for purpose.”

“These changes are expected to prevent and reduce gambling harm. The NSW Government will continue to deliver evidence-based reforms to ensure we are striking the balance of addressing gambling harm while supporting sustainable development of an industry that employs more than 150,000 people in NSW and injects billions into the economy,” Harris concluded. 

See also:

See also: Liquor & Gaming NSW launches gambling harm minimisation compliance campaign

Venues must comply with a six-hour daily shutdown from April 1. Australia.- The New South Wales Government has revoked more than 650 gaming machine shutdown exemptions across pubs and clubs. Following a December announcement by Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris, venues that previously operated under varied shutdown hours will be required to comply…