The April 2026 Hospitality and Racing newsletter sets the Annual Liquor Licence Fee deadlines, gazettes a new Facial Recognition Code of Practice under the Gaming Machines Act, and confirms NSW has assumed responsibility for liquor sales at four major airports. A practical reading of what each item actually requires.
Liquor and Gaming NSW published the April 2026 edition of the Hospitality and Racing newsletter on 20 April 2026. Several of the items in it carry hard deadlines or take effect immediately. This piece walks through the items most likely to need action by NSW operators in the next two months.
Annual Liquor Licence Fee: key dates
ALLF notices were issued on 13 April 2026. Three deadlines flow from that notice:
- Payment of the ALLF: due by 29 May 2026.
- Financial hardship waiver applications: close 22 May 2026, and require supporting documentation.
- Fee reassessment applications: close 27 July 2026.
The fee reassessment window is wider than the payment and hardship windows, but reassessment doesn't pause the payment obligation. Where reassessment is in play, pay first and recover on assessment.
Facial Recognition Code of Practice
A Code of Practice on the use of facial recognition technology in licensed venues was gazetted on 18 March 2026 under the Gaming Machines Act 2001. The Code is voluntary and is directed at the use of FRT to identify excluded patrons. By its terms it applies to venues currently using FRT and to venues that elect to introduce it in the future.
Even though the Code is voluntary, venues that adopt FRT will be measured against it as the operative standard of acceptable practice. Operators considering FRT should treat the Code as the practical floor, particularly around data handling, retention and the patron-notification interface.
Airport liquor regulation: transition complete
From 1 April 2026, NSW has regulated liquor sales at Sydney, Western Sydney International, Bankstown, and Camden airports. Existing operators at those airports transition into equivalent NSW licences automatically; new applicants must apply through Liquor & Gaming NSW under the standard regime.
ILGA Guideline 7: decision statements
ILGA's Guideline 7 has been revised following the Auditor-General's June 2025 recommendations. The substantive change for applicants is ILGA's commitment to publish decision statements generally within 30 days of the decision. That's a transparency reform, not a processing-time reform. It doesn't shorten the application timetable, but it does mean applicants and objectors will see ILGA's reasoning more quickly than they did under the prior regime.
Vibrancy reforms: live music incentives
The newsletter records that 564 venues now access live music incentives through the Vibrancy reforms, enabling extended trading. For operators not yet enrolled, the incentive remains the most direct mechanism for converting an existing venue into a longer-trading hybrid without a substantive new application.
Anzac Day: operating reminder
Anzac Day in 2026 falls on a Saturday. The public holiday observance is on Monday 27 April, and Liquor & Gaming has flagged that licensed venues should expect busy crowds across the long weekend. Two-up gaming, alcohol service and gambling-risk management need to be set up against the holiday-trading conditions on each licence.
The April newsletter is largely an operating-readiness document. The substantive regulatory change for the year sits in the airport transition and the gazettal of the FRT Code. The ALLF deadlines are predictable, but each year a number of clients miss the hardship-waiver window because they're focused on the payment date. Calendar both.
On a matter related to this?
The general information in this briefing isn't a substitute for advice tailored to your circumstances. If you're working on a liquor & gaming matter and want a partner's view, get in touch.