The New South Wales government will introduce mandatory facial recognition technology at gaming room entrances from 2028 and establish a statewide self-exclusion register under a new gambling reform package covering machine numbers, marketing restrictions and online gambling harm.
The NSW Statewide Exclusion Register will replace the current venue-by-venue system, under which people can voluntarily exclude themselves from selected gaming areas or entire hotels and clubs. Enforcement currently depends largely on individual venues and staff.
Under the new framework, a person’s exclusion will apply across every NSW hotel and club with gaming machines. Mandatory facial recognition technology will be introduced alongside the register in 2028 and will also support NSW Police efforts to prevent gaming machines from being used for money laundering and other criminal activity. A third-party exclusion scheme will also apply to hotels and clubs.
The reforms come after the NSW Gambling Survey 2024 found that 3.1% of the state’s adult population experiences moderate-risk gambling and 0.9% experiences high-risk gambling.
“The Minns Labor government is introducing wide-ranging reforms to help combat gambling harm across the state,” stated Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris. “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.”
The government will also accelerate reductions in gaming machine numbers. NSW currently has about 87,000 electronic gaming machines across roughly 2,100 clubs and hotels, with the number of entitlements having declined over the past three years.
The forfeiture rate when gaming machine entitlements are traded will rise from one in three to one in two, meaning one entitlement will be permanently removed for every two traded. A new “sinking cap” will lower the statewide limit as entitlements are removed from circulation.
Existing exemptions allowing some entitlements to be transferred without forfeiture will be tightened, while venues will be allowed to voluntarily cancel entitlements.
The package will also prepare NSW for account-based play, which allows players to use registered accounts instead of gambling anonymously. The government will upgrade the Centralised Monitoring System over the next two years to address reliance on legacy technology and allow venues to introduce account-based play at their discretion.
The government said technological developments since the Cashless Gaming Trial had produced account-based systems capable of delivering anti-money laundering and harm minimization benefits while allowing players to continue using cash.
Marketing restrictions will include a ban on VIP programs linked to gaming and gambling advertising on NSW Government and council-owned assets. Betting service providers will also be prohibited from contacting people through calls, emails or text messages without prior express consent.
Gambling promotions by affiliates and social media influencers will face new transparency requirements, while commissions linked to higher-risk gambling products will be restricted.
The government will also develop a state strategy to reduce online gambling harm and strengthen enforcement against betting providers and illegal gambling platforms through new offenses, tougher penalties and expanded regulatory powers.
The reforms draw on recommendations and issues raised through the Independent Panel for Gaming Reform’s Roadmap for Gaming Reform, the Crime Commission Inquiry into Money Laundering via Electronic Gaming Machines in hotels and clubs, and stakeholder and community consultation.
The Minns government will invest AU$95.2 million ($68.31 million) over four years to fund the package, using remaining money from the AU$100 million ($71.75 million) gambling harm minimization fund and higher license fees for clubs and hotels with gaming machines.
Australian Hotels Association NSW CEO John Whelan said the industry was still assessing the measures and would likely need more information to determine their impact on hotels.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/08/26/126091-australia-new-south-wales-government-to-mandate-facial-recognition-in-gaming-rooms-from-2028
