BWS gains licence for New South Wales lottery sales

Three BWS stores have secured a licence to sell lottery products in Sydney.

Australia.- Beer, Wine and Spirits (BWS), an Australian retail chain of liquor stores owned by Endeavour Group, has been granted a licence to sell lottery products at three stores in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW).

The move was criticised by the Gambling Reform Alliance. It says lottery should not have more lenient treatment than other forms of gambling, noting that a study published in the Addictive Behaviors journal said nearly one-third of people who exclusively gamble on lotteries are at some level of risk related to gambling.

See also: Report released on first NSW cashless gaming trial

Since a law change in 2015, lottery tickets in NSW have been sold in various types of stores, such as news agencies, grocery stores, gas stations and liquor stores. Before 2015, only newsagents could sell tickets.