New South Wales will require facial recognition at gaming room entrances from 2028. The technology will work with a new statewide self-exclusion register that replaces the current fragmented system of voluntary bans.
The state has around 87,000 poker machines across 2,100 clubs and hotels. Players can currently bar themselves from specific venues, but enforcement relies on staff. The new register will let users exclude themselves from all venues at once — biometrics will flag them automatically at entry. The system will also help police track money laundering through gaming machines.
The Minns Labor Government is allocating $95.2 million over four years. Funding will go toward upgrading the central monitoring system and preparing infrastructure for player accounts, an alternative to anonymous cash play. Account adoption will remain voluntary for operators.
The reform package tightens licence forfeiture: when gaming machine entitlements are sold, one in two will be surrendered permanently, up from one in three. VIP schemes tied to poker machines are banned. Gambling advertising on state and council property is prohibited, along with direct marketing without customer consent. Bookmakers and illegal platforms face new penalties and stronger oversight.
The NSW Gambling Survey 2024 found 3.1% of adults at moderate risk and 0.9% at high risk. Gaming Minister David Harris calls the measures 'common sense', developed with industry, harm minimisation experts and privacy advocates. $20 million will go to the Responsible Gambling Fund for support programmes and the GambleAware service.
