ClubsNSW
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Company type |
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|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | New South Wales |
Key people |
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| Website | clubsnsw |
ClubsNSW is an Australian organisation that lobbies for the gambling and hospitality industries. It is the peak organisation for gambling and hospitality venues in the state of New South Wales, and represents over 1,000 registered clubs statewide. It is a subsidiary of the nationwide peak body Clubs Australia.
Described as one of the most powerful lobbying organisations in Australia,[1] it has exerted considerable influence within New South Wales, and has been embroiled in several controversies. Most notably, it was involved in a lengthy legal battle with whistleblower and former employee Troy Stolz, after Stolz leaked confidential documents revealing that ClubsNSW was not complying with anti-money laundering laws.
According to the company's website, ClubsNSW was established in 1920.[2] Gambling machines were legalised in New South Wales in 1956, and the organisation would grow into becoming the peak body for the gambling industry in the state by the mid-2010s. Between July 1999 and June 2015, ClubsNSW made over $2 million in political donations to the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal-National Coalition, as well directly to politicians, in an effort to lobby for gambling industry interests.[3] The organisation has used its status to influence political events, notably when it spent an estimated $3.5 million to successfully campaign against gambling reforms proposed by federal MP Andrew Wilkie, leading to the Labor government of Julia Gillard rescinding its commitment to implement them.[4][5] According to The Sydney Morning Herald in May 2013, ClubsNSW executives attended a lobbying course in Washington DC, including seminars from members of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) in an effort to learn "how to use a large membership base to force political outcomes".[6]
In 2024, sixteen venues represented by ClubsNSW were impacted by a data breach that exposed the private information of up to one million patrons.[7]