NSW Australia to Make Facial Recognition Mandatory in Gaming Rooms

New South Wales will make facial recognition technology mandatory at gaming room entrances when a new statewide gambling exclusion register launches in 2028.

The measure forms part of a wider gambling reform package announced by the Minns Government on 25 August.

Under the new system, people who exclude themselves from gambling will be registered through a central system covering NSW hotels and clubs with gaming machines.

Facial recognition technology will then help venues identify excluded players attempting to enter gaming areas.

The system is intended to replace the fragmented approach that can require people experiencing gambling problems to exclude themselves from multiple venues individually

Facial Recognition Already Used at Some Venues

Facial recognition itself is not entirely new to NSW gambling venues.

Liquor & Gaming NSW introduced a voluntary Facial Recognition Technology Code of Practice in March 2026 for hotels and clubs already using or considering the technology.

The new reforms go considerably further by making facial recognition mandatory when the statewide exclusion system begins.

Privacy safeguards are also expected to form an important part of the scheme. Existing NSW guidance states that facial recognition used for gambling exclusion should not be used for marketing, customer tracking or general surveillance.

Families Could Seek Gambling Exclusions

The government also plans to introduce third-party exclusions.

This could allow family members or others close to someone experiencing serious gambling harm to apply for that person to be excluded.

It represents a significant change from systems that rely primarily on gamblers recognising the problem themselves and voluntarily requesting exclusion.

VIP Programs and Gambling Advertising Targeted

The wider reform package will also ban gaming-related VIP programs that reward players based on their gambling activity.

Gambling advertising will be prohibited on NSW Government and council-owned assets, while unsolicited direct marketing will face tighter restrictions.

Betting companies will need consent before sending certain marketing communications by phone, email or text.

The state also intends to strengthen transparency requirements surrounding affiliate and influencer gambling marketing.

NSW Government Commits $95.2 Million

The NSW Government will invest $95.2 million over four years in the latest stage of its gambling reforms.

The package also includes measures designed to gradually reduce the state's approximately 87,000 poker machines, including increasing the number of gaming machine entitlements forfeited when they are traded.

NSW will also upgrade its gambling monitoring infrastructure to support account-based gaming.

Unlike facial recognition, however, account-based gambling will not be compulsory under the current proposal, and players will still be able to use cash.

Major Changes Ahead for NSW Gambling

Mandatory facial recognition and statewide self-exclusion represent significant changes to gambling harm prevention in New South Wales.

Rather than relying heavily on individual venues to enforce exclusions, the new system is designed to make an exclusion follow a player across gaming venues throughout the state.

The biggest changes will not happen immediately. The statewide register and mandatory facial recognition are scheduled for 2028, giving NSW venues around two years to prepare for the new requirements.