Venue-initiated exclusions are directed by the gambling provider. You can issue an exclusion if you believe the patron is experiencing gambling-related harm. You can exclude the patron from your licensed premises or the gaming machine areas within the premises.

Use the venue-initiated exclusion flowchart as a guide to processing exclusions.

Gambling providers must complete form 3D—exclusion direction and form 3I—information notice—exclusion direction to start a venue-initiated exclusion.

Venue-initiated exclusions remain in place for 5 years unless the patron applies in writing to your venue to revoke the exclusion, and you agree.

If you initiate the exclusion of a patron (or refuse an application for re-entry by an excluded patron), they can appeal that decision to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).

Also consider...

• Complete the gambling-related incident report.
• Find out about exclusion compliance for gambling providers.
• Learn more about gambling harm minimisation campaigns.
• Find out about gambling exclusions in casinos.

Patrons can make a personal commitment to creating safer gambling behaviours by excluding themselves from a gaming venue (or part of it), or a gambling activity or product. They can set this up in person at the venue, or remotely through Gambling Help Queensland.

Read the resource manual relevant to your industry for information on how to process self-exclusions.

In-person self-exclusions

If a patron wants to self-exclude from your venue (or the gaming area), you must help them complete the exclusion process. You should also give them the details of a gambling help service provider and offer to help them contact the service.

Use the in-person self-exclusion flowchart as a guide to processing in-person self-exclusions and follow these steps.

Step 1—Receive the application

Patrons applying to self-exclude in person must complete form 3A—self-exclusion notice and give it to you, the licensee, to process.

Let the patron know the self-exclusion will be in place for 5 years and can't be revoked in the first 12 months after they have received form 3B—self-exclusion order from you, except within a 24-hour cooling-off period.

Step 2—Complete a self-exclusion order

After you receive the application, you must complete form 3B—self-exclusion order and promptly give it to the patron in-person, or by email or post (you can be fined if you don't do this).

The 24-hour cooling-off period starts when you provide form 3B to the patron.

Remote self-exclusions through a Gambling Help service

If a customer asks you about remote self-exclusion, use the remote self-exclusion flowchart as a guide to help them.

You should refer them to their local Gambling Help Queensland service or the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858. Gambling Help Queensland provides free, confidential counselling and support across the state.

Remote self-exclusion follows the same process as in-person self-exclusion, and includes these additional steps:

• verifying the person's identity
• confirming the gambling help service is authorised to act on the person's behalf.

Remote self-exclusion allows the patron to self-exclude from multiple venues at once.

Gambling Help Queensland's role in processing remote self-exclusions

Read the step-by-step remote self-exclusions guide for information on the process Gambling Help Queensland will follow to assist patrons self-exclude remotely.

Gambling Help Queensland will send you the following documents:

• form 3A—self-exclusion notice
• remote self-exclusion authority and identification form
• a clear, digital, colour photo of the person (head and shoulders shot)
• a copy of the person's photo identification.

They will ensure the patron understands what self-exclusion means, including that it will be in place for 5 years and can't be revoked within the first 12 months (except within an initial 24-hour cooling-off period). They will also help the patron identify other venues to exclude themselves from—generally, these will be close to their home or workplace (up to a maximum of 30 venues).

Your role in processing remote self-exclusions

Give Gambling Help Queensland the name and email address of a contact person at your venue to receive the self-exclusion documents.

Then, follow the same steps for in-person exclusions.

You need to complete and give form 3B—self-exclusion order to both the patron and the Gambling Help Queensland service provider. The 24-hour cooling-off period starts when you provide form 3B back to them.

Also consider...

• Complete the gambling-related incident report.
• Find out about exclusion compliance for gambling providers.
• Learn more about gambling harm minimisation campaigns.

Under gambling laws, gambling providers (except lotteries, bingo, charities and not-for-profits) must take reasonable steps to identify and prevent excluded patrons from entering or remaining in their premises or gaming machine areas.

You are required to:

• document your exclusion procedures
• ensure your staff are trained in recognising the signs of gambling-related harm and responding appropriately with advice and assistance
• escort patrons who breach their exclusions out of the premises in a sensitive and orderly way.

To understand what you must do:

• read the resource manual relevant to your industry
• read the code of practice
• familiarise yourself with exclusion forms and reporting tools.

Gambling providers (except casinos) should also read Guideline 16—Preventing excluded persons entering or remaining on licensed premises , which outlines the intervention measures and reasonable steps the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) expects you to take.

After reading the guideline, use the managing gambling exclusions checklist to assess whether you and your staff are taking reasonable steps.

What to do if a patron breaches an exclusion

You have a legal requirement to report to OLGR within 7 days any patron who breaches their exclusion. To do this, complete and submit the Notice of contravention of self-exclusion order/exclusion direction form (form 3H).

Gambling providers (except casinos) who haven't identified the excluded patron within 30 minutes must also submit the Managing gambling exclusions checklist unless you've already submitted it in the last 12 months. Choose either the checklist attached to form 3H or the online checklist.

You can lodge the form and checklist:

• by email to OLGRcompliance@justice.qld.gov.au
• in person at an OLGR office
• by post to
  • Gaming Compliance
    Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation
    Locked Bag 180
    CITY EAST  QLD  4002.

If you've taken reasonable steps and identified an excluded patron within 30 minutes you won't need to submit the exclusions checklist. This supports gambling providers who implement effective measures and meet or exceed their legal obligations to manage exclusions.

OLGR may investigate breaches and examine the contributing factors.

How to meet your reporting requirements

You must keep up-to-date registers of excluded patrons as well as regularly report them to us. To meet your reporting requirements, complete the:

• register of excluded persons (form 3G)—keep it onsite and make it available for inspection by an OLGR officer
• report on excluded persons (form 3R)—submit it to us every 6 months (within 14 days of the end of June and December each year).

Tips for complying with exclusion laws

• Don't send promotional or advertising material about the venue to excluded patrons (fines may apply)—remove them from your mailing lists and social media accounts.
• Ensure card-based gaming and player loyalty accounts are partially or fully disabled or cancelled when an exclusion takes effect. Make sure the patron doesn't reactivate their card or open a new account during their exclusion period.
• Ensure staff regularly view photos of excluded patrons and scan CCTV for them.
• Ensure staff don't pay out jackpots and cancelled credits to excluded patrons—complete a payout refusal report (form 30) and submit it to us as soon as possible.

Using facial recognition technology

You can choose to use facial recognition technology (FRT) to detect excluded people trying to enter your venue.

Find out what you need to consider when using FRT in your venue.

Also consider...

• Download compliance signage and other materials for gambling providers.
• Learn about processing remote gambling exclusions.
• Read more about compliance for gaming machine licensees.

Revoking venue-initiated exclusions

You, as a gambling provider, can only accept an application to revoke a venue-initiated exclusion 12 months after the day the exclusion was issued. The patron can only make 1 application in any 12-month period.

The patron must complete form 3E—application to revoke exclusion direction and lodge it with you.

Within 28 days after receiving the application, you must revoke the exclusion or refuse the application. Failure to decide within 28 days will be considered a decision to refuse the application.

To make your decision, you can consider any information you think is relevant, including for example:

• supporting information provided by the patron
• previous history of contraventions
• recent gambling behaviours
• a psychologist's report.

If you decide to revoke the exclusion, as soon as possible, you must give the patron form 3F—revocation notice—exclusion direction. The revocation takes effect when the notice is given to the patron.

If you decide to refuse the application, as soon as possible, you must give the patron form 3J—information notice—refusal to revoke an exclusion direction.

Read the resource manual for your respective industry to find out more.

Cancelling self-exclusions

You can only accept an application to revoke a patron-initiated self-exclusion from the patron themself, on form 3C—revocation notice—self-exclusion order and:

• within a 24-hour cooling-off period from the when the patron received form 3B—self-exclusion order (cancellation takes effect immediately once you receive the revocation notice)
• after 12 months from the date of exclusion (cancellation takes effect 28 days after you receive the revocation notice).

Active monitoring program

As a condition of re-entry after an exclusion period, with the patron's permission, you can start an active monitoring program to assist in reducing any gambling-related harm.

An active monitoring program may involve venue staff monitoring the activities and behaviour of the patron who is at risk of gambling-related harm to assist in reducing the risks. But it is more involved than venue-initiated observation procedures. It is a formalised plan between your venue and the patron—it may also include the cooperation of gambling support services and other support networks.

The program should be in place for a minimum of 6 months before being reviewed for effectiveness and meeting the patron's ongoing needs.

Once implemented, you can manage the active monitoring program by:

• keeping a completed consent to monitor my gambling activities form and a photo of the patron on file
• advising relevant staff that the patron is on an active monitoring program
• keeping a record of the patron's daily gambling activities, including the time and money they spend on gambling
• reviewing the patron's gambling activities and suitability to continue gambling at the venue
• where possible, providing the patron a 'player activity statement' (sourced from your licensed monitoring software) at agreed intervals (e.g. weekly, fortnightly, monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly).

You can also use an active monitoring program as a proactive measure when a patron has:

• refused self-exclusion after a discussion
• displayed behaviours consistent with gambling-related harm
• revoked a self-exclusion order
• recently ceased self-exclusion.

Also consider...

• Read the revocation process flowchart as a guide to processing revocations.
• Read more about the conditions of re-entry and give them to patrons who have had their exclusion cancelled or revoked.
• Read more about compliance for gaming machine licensees.

If you need help completing any of these forms, contact the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR).

Self-exclusion signage for gambling venues

Self-exclusion signage reminds gamblers they can ban themselves if their gambling is too much to cope with.

Download the following signs and brochures for use in your venue:

• Exclusion information brochure
• Exclusion sign (standard)
• Exclusion sign (name and photo)
• Exclusion sign (name only)
• Self-exclusion in effect? It's illegal to enter
  • A4 poster
  • LCD sign
• Entering with self-exclusion in effect is against the law
  • A4 poster
  • LCD sign
• Gambling Helpline poster
• Gambling Help takeaway contact card (folded wallet card)

Also consider...

• Order free gambling support resources online
• Learn more about processing venue-initiated exclusions and patron-initiated exclusions.
• Read about gambling exclusions in casinos.

This checklist is relevant to all gaming machine, wagering and Keno providers (but not casinos).

The checklist is a guide only and doesn't include everything you need to know or do about gambling exclusions. It's based on the reasonable steps (including the 'foundation' and 'additional' measures) in Gaming guideline G16—Preventing excluded persons entering or remaining on licensed premises.

When to complete the checklist

Completing and submitting the checklist is voluntary, unless you're notifying us of a breach.

Checking your processes meet best practice (voluntary)

We encourage all gambling providers to complete it to:

• assess whether you and your staff are taking reasonable steps to identify and prevent excluded patrons from entering, or remaining in, your venue or gambling areas
• ensure you're following best practice in managing gambling exclusions.

You can also submit it to the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) to keep on file.

When you've identified a breach (mandatory)

If you identify a breach of a gambling exclusion you must report it to OLGR using the Notice of contravention of self-exclusion order or exclusion direction form (form 3H).

If you identified the excluded patron 30 minutes or more after entering the exclusion area, you must also complete the checklist.

The checklist is included on this page and attached to form 3H—you can use either this online version or the version attached to the form.

How often the checklist should be completed

The checklist only needs to be completed once in any 12-month period. This means, if you voluntarily complete it now, you won’t need to complete it again (within a 12-month period), including when you identify a breach.

How to submit it to OLGR

Submit your completed checklist by:

• emailing it to OLGRcompliance@justice.qld.gov.au
• posting it to
  • Gaming Compliance
    Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation
    Locked Bag 180
    CITY EAST  QLD  4002
• delivering it to an OLGR contact centre.

You can print a completed checklist after you've filled it out or, if you want to fill it out by hand, print it now before you start. You can also use this function to save the completed checklist as a PDF file to attach to an email.