Starting September 1, all clubs and pubs in New South Wales (NSW) will have to remove any gambling-related signage. The ban on all external gambling signs comes as the new Labor government is making sure to fulfil its election pledge.
Starting next week, all pubs and clubs will be formally notified that they will need to replace or alter their gambling-related signs before the start of September. Venues will have three months to take the required actions to be compliant with the new ban. If they fail to do that within the given grace period due to external circumstances, they will be given additional three months to handle their outdoor signs. The gambling-related signage ban followed Premier Chris Minns’ promise to crack down on the pokie industry in NSW.
Gambling-Related Signage Ban Includes Terms Like “VIP Room” and “VIP Lounge”
As a way to prevent clubs and pubs from luring visitors by promoting gambling, the ban has included several particular terms and images that were often seen across NSW venues. Starting September 1, clubs and pubs will no longer be allowed to have outdoor signs like “VIP room” and “VIP lounge”. Names like “Golden Room” and “Prosperity Lounge” are also prohibited, with the ban even extending to depictions of dragons, lightning bolts, and coins.
According to gaming minister David Harris, there was already an implemented ban on gambling-related signage. However, bars and clubs were able to circumvent the prohibited signs by using terms like “VIP lounges”, which were still used to promote gambling to venue visitors. Mr Harris was determined that the new Labor government will put an end to such loopholes.
To help the implementation of the new ban, the government is going to join forces with venues across NSW as well as different industry associations. Venues that fail to comply with the latest signage regulation will face a financial penalty of up to AU$ 11,000 per offence.
Cashless Cards for Pokies to be Introduced across 500 Machines in NSW
The latest ban on gambling-related signage followed the huge crackdown on the gambling industry, with the new government also banning any political donations from gaming entities. Another measure that Mr Minnis promised to introduce was cashless pokie cards, with the trial of this measure starting July 1 and involving a total of 500 pokie machines.
There are plans to make cashless gambling cards mandatory, imposing a daily spending cap to prevent gambling-related problems across pokie players in NSW. Wesley Mission, CEO of Rev Stu Cameron, reported that a recent survey revealed that 56.7% of NSW residents prefer the mandatory cashless gaming cards instead of the trial on 500 machines.
On Friday, Mr Mission commented that by next year, NSW poker machines in casinos will be cashless, with all pokies in Tasmania implementing the cashless card gaming system. He shared that the introduction of cashless gambling overseas has proven to be successful indicating that this would be the right move for NSW as well.
The NSW gambling reform followed last month’s discoveries, with the NSW Liquor and Gaming revealing that pokie machine losses for 2022 amounted to the record amount of AU$ 8.1 billion. Another concerning issue that prompted actions included the NSW Crime Commission’s findings that state poker machines were often involved in criminal money-laundering schemes.
- Author
Olivia Cole
