L&GNSW orders gaming room restructure for two venues
The New South Wales regulator has ordered changes at the Gaslight Inn and The Colombian Hotel in Darlinghurst.
Australia.- The New South Wales regulator, Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW), has told The Gaslight Inn and The Colombian Hotel, in Darlinghurst, to either relocate or implement screening measures for gaming machines situated in interconnected rooms. The directives were issued under section 44A of the Gaming Machines Act 2001 to prevent the venues from effectively operating gaming rooms as a single expanded area.
Liquor & Gaming NSW executive director, Jane Lin, stated: “Patrons at both venues are effectively being given direct access to 55 gaming machines instead of the legislated hotel maximum of 30 because of the interconnected rooms.
“The existence of a door between the two gaming rooms serves the sole purpose of facilitating patrons to move from one gaming room to the other. This circumvents the gaming machine limits imposed on hotels, which exist as a harm minimisation measure.”
Regulations requires gaming machines to be positioned so they cannot be seen from anywhere outside used by the public or in a way that attracts the public.
Lin added: “The government and the community not only expect technical compliance with the state’s gambling laws, but for the spirit and intent of those laws to be met. Liquor & Gaming NSW takes a zero-tolerance approach to venues that do not comply with gaming harm minimisation requirements. While the majority of venues do the right thing, those who breach these laws can expect to face the full force of the law.”
Failure to comply with Liquor & Gaming NSW’s directives carries a maximum penalty of AU$5,500. However, both venues asked for a review of the decisions.
See also: L&GNSW fines Royal Inn Hotel over breach of gaming machine laws
