Liquor & Gaming NSW said influencer partnerships are a regulatory priority for 2026 in New South Wales. The regulator said it will examine paid and unpaid promotions, including content that reaches young or vulnerable audiences, and hold operators responsible for advertising linked to their products.
Operators may face scrutiny over influencer marketing and their responsibility for advertising by partners.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
Liquor & Gaming NSW says clubs and hotels in New South Wales must complete a Local Impact Assessment when applying to increase their gaming machine threshold. Its resources include venue risk bands, a public register of applications and decisions dating from 2019, and guidance on preparing assessments.
Liquor & Gaming NSW explains when businesses in NSW may sell or supply alcohol without a liquor licence. The guidance sets out conditions for bed and breakfasts and certain gatherings at age-restricted residential land lease communities, and warns that unlicensed sales outside legal exemptions can attract penalties.
Liquor & Gaming NSW had revoked 649 exemptions for pubs and clubs by 24 March, with the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority revoking a further 10. From 1 April 2026, venues must stop operating gaming machines between 4am and 10am daily; 13 exemption applications remained pending, with decisions due by 31 March.
The New South Wales government said its response to a Crime Commission inquiry supports all eight recommendations and will require cashless gaming across pubs and clubs. It proposes legislating 31 December 2028 as the completion date, with new machines required to be cashless once the rollout begins and other player-protection measures also planned.
Liquor & Gaming NSW says venues in New South Wales need a hotel or club licence to have gaming machines. Manufacturers, sellers, service providers and testers also require a gaming-related licence, and possessing a machine without authorisation is against the law.