The gambling regulator in New South Wales, Australia, has so far rejected applications from every gaming venue that believes it has a case for having its gaming room open for longer than other venues.
Liquor and Gaming NSW said 62 venues have applied to retain their exemptions, often given to establishments in tourist hotspots. So far, 49 have been assessed and all have been told to comply with new Ministerial Guidelines.
In December last year, the NSW government published the findings of its Review of Gaming Machine Shutdown Hours, which found that a minimum six-hour shutdown of gaming rooms starting no later than 4am was “effective at minimising gambling harm.”
Since then, the regulator has been inviting applications from venues who believe they can still operate under the old rules. As of March 24, 649 out of 672 venues have had this allowance revoked, with 62 applying to keep their varied shutdown hours.
Ten of the venues which have conformed to the new rules have done so by liaising with Liquor and Gaming NSW, with the others being dealt with by the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority.
Thirteen venues “remain under assessment,” with a final decision expected by March 31.
“Liquor and Gaming NSW will undertake a compliance campaign after April 1 when the new requirements come into effect, to ensure all venues are abiding by the changes,” the regulator 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seriously and that’s why I called for a review of the gaming machine variations back in December that has removed outdated exemptions that enabled more than 650 pubs and clubs to operate gaming machines during standard shutdown hours,” said Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris.
“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.
“To enable variations to be revoked, I updated the Ministerial Guidelines and set up a streamlined process for venues to make their case if they wished to keep their variation, and to allow for a transition period.
“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.”