The New South Wales government has published two draft gambling regulations which propose new finable offenses and restrictions on certain offers.

The Betting and Racing Regulations and the Totaliser Regulations were introduced in 2012, but in about three months they will be repealed.

They are both due to expire in September, so the NSW government has stuck to the replacement plans and launched a public consultation to gather feedback from the community and industry.

Current regulations cover gambling harm minimization measures, such as counseling services, penalty notice requirements, permitted TAB participations and special exemptions. Although the proposed regulations maintain many of the existing rules, they propose several key changes.

This includes “reinforcing harm minimization principles and responsible gambling practices,” such as specifying certain incentives.

For example, offers “promoting free participation in a competition, conditional on the possession of a betting account, are harmful offers and are offered on prescription”.

Other changes include the introduction of certain first-time penalty notices and the annual adjustment of fee collection based on inflation.

“A large part of the community takes great pleasure in betting and likes to place a bet without it becoming a problem,” said Anthony Keon, CEO of Hospitality and Racing.

“Regulatory protections create not only sustainability for the industry, but also certainty for the community that licensees are fit to gamble, that penalties are fair and proportionate, and that There is communication and engagement with people who experience harm from gambling.”

Individuals and stakeholders have until June 22 to provide feedback. This can be done by completing a survey or uploading a written submission to the NSW Government website. Alternatively, people can post a written submission to Liquor & Gaming NSW.

Keon concluded, “With this consultation, we seek to capture the interests of all stakeholders to ensure that a thriving betting industry can also operate in the interest of the community.”