In an update released July 28, the New South Wales (NSW) government announced that nearly half of the state’s licensed bars and clubs have already taken steps to comply with the previously announced ban on all external gambling-related signage, which is set to take effect September 1.
The government announced back in May that all licensed bars and clubs in the state would be banned from putting up external signage indicating that the venue had poker machines (pokies) inside. The ban also notably includes certain euphemisms such as Player’s Lounge and VIP Room as well as slot-related imagery such as coins, lightning bolts, etc.
After the ban takes effect, violators will be fined up to AU$11,000 (US$7,300) for each offense by state regulators.
According to the government release, a total of 530 venues were contacted about the upcoming changes and at least 215 have already complied with or taken steps to comply with the new mandate.
“We announced these changes back in May as a staged approach to ensure pubs and clubs were given the appropriate amount of time to conceal, remove and switch off any gambling promoting signage,” David Harris, minister for gaming and racing, said in the release.
“While venues have until 1 September to comply, our expectation is that they remove signs as quickly as possible and not leave it until the last minute.Removing this signage is just one important part of our commitment to gambling reform to reduce harm and tackle money laundering head on in NSW, and we are delivering.”
The signage changes are just one of several responsible gaming-related initiatives that have been rolled out in NSW in the last year, including a reduced cash-in limit of just AU$500 for all new pokies, the appointment an independent panel tasked with overseeing the implementation of cashless gaming, a ban on political donations from clubs and more.
