Liquor & Gaming NSW Fines Royal Inn Hotel for Gaming Hour Violations

Liquor & Gaming NSW, the body responsible for regulating gambling in New South Wales, announced that it has handed a fine of AUD 7,540 to a hotel in Newcastle. According to the regulator, the property violated the state’s gambling laws by operating gaming machines outside authorized hours.

Liquor & Gaming NSW pointed out that the hotel in question is the Royal Inn Hotel at Waratah, a suburb of Newcastle. The licensee of the hotel pleaded guilty to 13 offenses under NSW’s Gaming Machines Act 2001 in Downing Centre Local Court on March 11, the regulator announced.

As a result, the authority levied an AUD 7,540 fine against Royal Inn Hotel’s licensee, warning the hotel that those are very serious offenses.

This came after a thorough investigation by Liquor & Gaming NSW, the official announcement noted. The Australian regulatory body reviewed the hotel’s gaming operations and learned that its gaming machines had been left operational during the shutdown period from 1 am to 7 am on April 15, 22 and 29, 2023. This meant that the machines were functional for three consecutive Saturday nights.

The Violations Were the “Result of a Genuine Misunderstanding”

A Royal Inn Hotel representative said in court that the violations were caused by a “genuine misunderstanding of the license conditions by the approved manager.” However, the Magistrate concluded that this was still the hotel’s fault since it should have ensured that its employees were appropriately trained.

Jane Lin, Liquor & Gaming NSW’s executive director of regulatory operations, commented on the matter, describing Royal Inn Hotel’s violations as “serious breaches of the state’s gaming laws.” She pointed out that the restrictions exist for a reason as otherwise patrons would be exposed to a greater risk of gambling harm.

These restrictions are in place to reduce the risks of gambling harm by limiting the time patrons can spend playing gaming machines. Apart from breaking the law, the Royal Inn Hotel placed its patrons at greater risk of gambling harm.

Jane Lin, executive director of regulatory operations, Liquor & Gaming NSW

Finally, Lin added that the regulator will not hesitate to seek out those who fail to abide by gaming machine trading hours and levy significant penalties.