NSW Regulator Steps up Efforts to Address Issues with Signage at Pubs and Clubs

The regulator of New South Wales’ gaming and wagering facilities is stepping up efforts to address issues with signage at pubs and clubs.

Ahead of the Australian state’s election later this month, both the incumbent Coalition government and the Labor party want to ban all signs that advertise, or make a reference to, gaming rooms outside licensed venues.

Terms “frequently associated” with gambling are banned as per the current legislation, but “VIP Lounge” is well-used across New South Wales instead.

Nevertheless, the executive director for regulatory operations and enforcement at NSW Liquor and Gaming said this week that 80% of venues recently studied contained signage that “might indicate” a gaming room.

Jane Lin, speaking at the Regulating the Game conference in Sydney, stressed that NSW Liquor and Gaming would “wait until after the election” to discuss terms such as VIP lounge, given both parties’ desire to crack down on signage.

Still, that will not stop the regulator from rolling out a “multi-faceted compliance and enforcement approach,” Lin said.

She added that NSW Liquor and Gaming will be observing the behaviour of staff and “whether they seem to understand their obligations.”

The debate about mandatory cashless gaming is another contested gambling issue ahead of the New South Wales election.