New South Wales is introducing a broad gambling reform package aimed at reducing harm, strengthening exclusion measures and tightening controls on gambling marketing.
The Minns Labor Government said the measures fulfil an election commitment. They include a statewide exclusion register backed by mandatory facial recognition at gaming-room entrances, a third-party exclusion scheme for hotels and clubs, higher forfeiture rates for gaming machine entitlements and an end to VIP programmes linked to gaming.
The reforms follow the NSW Gambling Survey 2024, which found that 3.1% of adults experience moderate-risk gambling, while 0.9% experience high-risk gambling.
Poker Machine Numbers Set To Fall
NSW has about 87,000 poker machines across approximately 2,100 clubs and hotels. The government will increase the forfeiture rate for traded gaming machine entitlements.
A new ‘sinking cap’ will lower the statewide limit as entitlements leave circulation. The government will also tighten exemptions that allowed transfers without forfeiture and let venues cancel entitlements voluntarily.
The statewide exclusion register will cover every hotel and club with gaming machines, replacing the current venue-based voluntary arrangements.
Mandatory facial recognition technology will accompany the register in 2028. It will help venues identify excluded individuals and support police efforts against money laundering and other criminal activity involving gaming machines.
New Controls For Gambling Marketing
The government will prohibit gambling advertising on NSW Government and council-owned assets and ban unsolicited direct marketing. Betting service providers will need express consent before contacting people through calls, emails or text messages.
VIP gaming programmes will also be prohibited. New transparency requirements will cover promotions involving affiliates and social media influencers, alongside restrictions on commissions linked to higher-risk gambling products.
The government will develop a state strategy addressing online gambling harm and strengthen enforcement against illegal gambling platforms through new offences, tougher penalties and expanded regulatory powers.
Infrastructure And Funding
NSW will upgrade its Centralised Monitoring System over the next two years to prepare for future account-based play, allowing people to use registered accounts when playing poker machines rather than gamble anonymously.
The government will invest $95.2 million over four years, funded through remaining money from the $100 million gambling harm minimisation fund and higher licence fees for clubs and hotels operating gaming machines. A further $20 million will go to the Responsible Gambling Fund over two years to support harm-reduction services, including GambleAware.
Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said: “The Minns Labor government is introducing wide-ranging reforms to help combat gambling harm across the state.
“These are common sense reforms that have been developed alongside industry, harm minimisation groups, stakeholders and privacy experts to address gambling harm while supporting the industry and protecting the livelihoods of the many people it employs.
“By combining new technology, stronger exclusion tools, strengthened regulation and increased funding for harm reduction, we are building a safer system for the future.
“Our government will continually explore and implement emerging technology to ensure NSW has the most up-to-date safety measures available built into our gambling industry.”
Source:
“Stronger protections in major NSW gambling reform”, nsw.gov.au, August 25, 2026
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