In a massive move to combat the pokies scourge across NSW, from September 1, all ‘VIP Lounge’ signs outside venues will be illegal. The poker machines themselves contribute over $7 billion annually in losses for gamblers in NSW alone and have long been the subject and cause of devastating addictions. 

From next month, all pubs, clubs and venues with gambling facilities in NSW will have to permanently take down any and all signs advertising gambling on the outside walls of their establishments. The legislation is an extension of existing laws that state venues cannot have poker machines visible from the street. 

Banned words outside venues include:

• ‘VIP Room’ and ‘VIP Lounge’
• ‘Golden Room’ and ‘Golden Lounge’ 
• ‘Player’s Room’ and ‘Players Lounge’ 
• Pictures of dragons
• Pictures of coins 
• Lightning motifs 

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The move comes as a directive of the NSW Minns Government which appears to be on a mission to eliminate problem gambling across the state. Venues that fail to comply with the sign removals face  hefty fines starting from $11,000.

There are anti-corruption tones included in the new reforms too, with a ban on political donations from gambling clubs.

Included in the new rules of conduct for venues with gambling facilities is maxing the amount of cash you can feed into a pokies machine at a time $500, instead of the previous $5000, as well as putting a cap on the amount of gaming machines allowed in circulation. A huge change will also come from how gamblers access their funds – cashless gaming will be mandatory, and cards used must be linked to a bank account rather than credit.

Importantly for venues who rely on gambling facilities, the State Government has introduced an optional buyback scheme, targeted at acquiring 2,000 machines over the next five years.

You can read the full document on the NSW government website here.

If you’re based in NSW and have a gambling-related issue or you’re worried about a friend or loved one, GambleAware can help. Call 1800 858 858 or visit gambleaware.nsw.gov.au

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