Liquor & Gaming NSW has fined the Crown Hotel in Camden and East Cessnock Bowling Club after an intelligence-led compliance operation targeting mandatory poker-machine shutdown hours. One other venue received a caution and a fourth was referred for formal disciplinary action.
Liquor & Gaming NSW reviewed 51 pubs and clubs across Sydney, the Hunter and the North Coast. A further 70 venues remained under assessment, while 32 received education and compliance assistance because their issues were minor, isolated or arose from circumstances outside their control.
The operation combines real-time data analysis, venue inspections and examinations of venue records to identify possible breaches. The regulator said significant or repeated non-compliance would draw stronger action, while minor cases could be addressed through help for operators to improve their systems and processes.
Registered NSW clubs and hotels with gaming machines are generally required to switch them off from 4am to 10am daily under the Gaming Machines Act 2001. The six-hour break is intended as a harm-minimisation measure, limiting opportunities for extended overnight play.
The enforcement campaign followed the removal of outdated shutdown exemptions on April 1. Before the reforms, 672 venues held variations, generally allowing a three-hour rather than six-hour closure; many arrangements had been in place for more than 20 years. By March 24, Liquor & Gaming NSW had revoked 649 exemptions and the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority had revoked 10, with 13 venues still being assessed.
A small number of venues have since been approved to retain three-hour shutdowns after individual assessment by the authority. The law allows variations in circumstances including weekend or public-holiday operations, hardship and early-opening venues.
The move sits alongside the broader NSW gambling-reform package that we reported in August, including a statewide exclusion register and facial-recognition plan. The government announced in August that it would also review the mandatory shutdown period, citing evidence that higher-risk gamblers play during the early morning. A 2024 Liquor & Gaming NSW review found that a minimum six-hour closure beginning no later than 4am was effective at minimising gambling harm.
