NSW Regulator Fines Two Venues Over Pokies Shutdown Breaches
Liquor & Gaming NSW has fined the Crown Hotel in Camden and East Cessnock Bowling Club after an intelligence-led compliance operation found breaches of the state's mandatory gaming machine shutdown hours, the regulator said on October 12, 2026.
A further venue received an official caution, and another was referred for formal disciplinary action.
51 Venues Reviewed
Under the rules, gaming machines in New South Wales venues must be switched off between 4am and 10am every day, a measure the regulator describes as a key harm-minimisation safeguard that guarantees a daily break in play.
In April 2026, the NSW Government removed exemptions that had allowed more than 650 pubs and clubs to operate poker machines during the standard shutdown window.
Liquor & Gaming NSW has since reviewed 51 venues across Sydney, the Hunter and the North Coast, with a further 70 venues still under assessment as inspections continue.
"The six-hour shutdown period is an important safeguard that supports harm minimisation by providing a guaranteed break in gaming machine operation each day," said Dimitri Argeres, L&GNSW's Executive Director of Regulatory Operations.
"While it's pleasing that the vast majority of reviewed venues have met their obligations, we have identified a small number of breaches resulting in penalties, regulatory action and ongoing investigations."
While You Are Here, Why Not Check Out Our: Casino Games Hub & Free Slots?
Most Venues Compliant
Of the 672 venues that previously operated reduced shutdown periods, usually three hours rather than six, many had held that exemption for more than 20 years.
The Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority has approved a small number of venues to keep three-hour shutdowns following individual assessment.
Argeres said 32 venues received education and compliance support rather than penalties where issues were isolated, minor, or arose from circumstances outside the venue's control.
"Our approach is intelligence-led and proportionate. Where issues are minor or isolated, we work with venues to improve compliance. However, significant or repeated breaches will attract stronger regulatory action," he said.
Part Of Wider Enforcement Pattern
The regulator noted recent precedent for how seriously it treats shutdown breaches at licensed venues: the Concourse Hotel at Wynyard was fined $110,000 in 2025 for allowing patrons to play its 29 machines outside authorised hours, the former Richards on the Park Hotel at Canley Vale was fined $44,000 in 2025 for 68 separate breaches, and the Royal Inn Hotel at Newcastle was fined $7,540 in 2024 for 13 breaches.
Separately, the NSW Government said in August 2026 that it will review the shutdown period itself, after evidence showed higher-risk gamblers are more likely to play in the early hours of the morning, a factor it says will inform any future changes alongside operational impacts on venues, according to the regulator's own release.
