Queensland does not have the same level of harm-minimisation imposts as NSW. However, all directors in Queensland should consider that in July 2026 at the Labor national conference, Labor members revived the push for a national gambling regulator. If a national regulator ultimately emerges, aspects of the NSW model may influence future national requirements.
What is the message? Board and management understand and accept the threat and create strategies to deal with potential changes in business operations now.
Today’s environment presents its own challenge for boards and management, still around the key aspects of strategy, compliance and governance. It appears the policy energy has gone the other way — toward reducing compliance burden and enabling clubs to combine. Entitlement caps for multi-venue clubs were lifted from 500 to 700 machines for clubs operating two or more premises, and from 450 to 600 for clubs with exactly two. The single-venue cap stayed at 300 and the statewide cap was maintained.
The stated purpose was to let larger, more experienced operators absorb smaller clubs at risk of closing, against a running average of around twelve club closures a year.
This is sound logic, but again the key issues of strategy, governance and compliance must be ringing in the ears or every director in Queensland. And your role must be reviewed in terms of the key aspects set out in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).
| WHAT THIS ASKS OF YOUR BOARD
For a group taking on a second or third venue, the capability question changes shape. It stops being “is this venue compliant” and becomes “does every venue run the same way” and, more pointedly, “do we have a management bench deep enough to staff the club we have just acquired?”
Are directors sufficiently skilled across strategy, governance and compliance to oversee a larger and more complex club group? Groups that answer the second and third questions well are the ones that make acquisitions work. |
Access the Queensland Compliance Checklist or speak with our team about your club’s requirements.
