Hospitality and Racing News September 2023

The NSW Government’s Reclaim the Game program is proud to announce a new partnership with the Illawarra Hawks and the extension of partnerships with the Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames. By welcoming the Hawks, all National Basketball League (NBL) and Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) teams in NSW are now partnering with Reclaim the Game, allowing NSW basketball fans to enjoy the action with fewer interruptions from betting ads. 

All teams involved in the program are committed to reducing the amount of betting advertising in sport and educating their communities around the risks associated with gambling.

The NSW Government’s Reclaim the Game program has been a huge success boasting 10 partners across 16 teams in five sporting codes including AFL, NRL, A-League and cricket.

The Independent Panel on Gaming Reform has issued invitations for venues and technology providers to apply to participate in the cashless gaming trial. Applicants should meet the minimum requirements set by the Independent Panel to take part in the cashless gaming trial, including harm minimisation protections, anti-money laundering protections, and data security and privacy protections, and specific requirements for venues. 

Applications close on 13 October 2023.

GambleAware Week is an annual initiative aimed at increasing awareness of gambling and gambling harm in the NSW community. This year GambleAware Week will be held from 16-22 October, with the theme ‘What’s gambling costing you?’. This theme encourages people to think about the costs of gambling not only on their finances but also the impacts on health, relationships, or careers.  

GambleAware Week is an opportunity to increase the community’s understanding of risky gambling behaviour, help gamblers to recognise when their gambling may place them at risk of harm, and provide information on practical ways to keep their gambling under control.  

During the week, industry and community stakeholders will host events throughout state, as well as promoting key messages across their channels and networks. Industry is encouraged to keep an eye on the GambleAware website for digital resources and information about the campaign.

Hospitality and Racing has recently published its Hospitality and Racing Strategy 2025 and Regulatory Priorities for July to December 2023. 

The Strategy 2025 is a key strategic document setting the vision, mission, values and strategic context of the organisation from now through to 2025. The Regulatory Priorities publication identifies the key areas of focus over the coming months for all of Hospitality and Racing’s regulated sectors. Industry is encouraged to review these documents, be mindful of issues and priorities relevant to them, and pro-actively engage with Hospitality and Racing on these key issues of focus.

External gaming-related signage is banned at hotels and clubs in NSW, including the use of terms such as “VIP Lounge” and images and symbols such as dragons, coins and lightening.  From 1 September 2023, our inspectors have commenced a targeted compliance program to ensure compliance with these requirements and are asking members of the community (including you!) to help report any remaining external gaming signage.