A motion passed unanimously at the NSW Labor state conference in July commits, amongst a host of other recommendations, some adopted some not, to a super-profits tax on venues with more than $20 million in gaming machine profits.
It is not government policy and carries no timelines, but it is the clearest available read on a second-term agenda
However there are some changes, some put forward by the Labor conference. As most of you are aware, on 25 August 2026 the NSW Government announced its largest gambling reform tranche in years.
From 2028, a NSW statewide exclusion register will replace the current venue-by-venue self-exclusion system, enforced by mandatory facial recognition technology at gaming room entry points.
Alongside this:
- the forfeiture rate on entitlement transfers rises from 1-in-3 to 1-in-2
- a “sinking cap” means the statewide cap falls as entitlements are removed
- gaming-linked VIP programs are banned
- unsolicited direct marketing now requires express prior consent
- the Centralised Monitoring System will be upgraded over two years to enable account-based play.
The NSW Government continues to develop infrastructure supporting future account-based gaming.
| WHAT THIS ASKS OF YOUR BOARD
The changes will be asking Boards to steward very different businesses with significantly altered compliance and governance frameworks. Further, potentially brand damaging pressure will be applied to certain staff with new judgement calls in the hands of floor staff — handling an exclusion breach in front of other patrons, managing patron identity data properly, verifying ID under pressure.
Two years is not long to build the resilience that will be required to deal with the changes. None of the information required sits in current RCG content at the depth the reforms will require. |
Learn more about how Barringtons can support your club with regulatory, risk and compliance requirements.
