The Role of the Office of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner (OLGC)

The History of our Office | Email us with your questions

The Office of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner is responsible for the administration of the following Acts:

Liquor Licensing Act 1997
Gaming Machines Act 1992
Casino Act 1997
Authorised Betting Operations Act 2000
Lottery and Gaming Act 1936
Collections for Charitable Purposes Act 1939

In order to regulate such a large industry the Office is divided into various sections:

Customer Services

The Customer Service section provides advice on what forms are required and any additional information required in relation to applications.

It also processes all documents received and, if required, will allocate a hearing date for an application.

The Applications Processing section prepares applications for call-over, and manages applications until they have been determined.

Approval of Persons

All applications that relating to the approval of persons are processed by this section.

Limited Licences

Anyone intending to host a party or organise an event (or series of events) where liquor will be sold is required under the Liquor Licensing Act 1997 to obtain a limited licence.

The Limited Licence section is responsible for processing limited licence applications and ensuring all relevant function details are collected in order for the Commissioner to determine an application.

Financial Services

Financial Services Officers are responsible for carrying out detailed examinations of books of account. Financial services officers have power of entry to licensed premises in order to examine the financial records of the business conducted under the licence.

Inspectorate

The Inspectorate is responsible for determining the physical state and condition of licensed premises or proposed licensed premises and to inspect for compliance with the provisions of the liquor and gambling legislation. Inspectors have power of entry to licensed premises.

Compliance

The Compliance section handles complaints in relation to licensed premises. In order to investigate such complaints Compliance Officers are required to conduct and record interviews, obtain statements and collect evidence in order to make recommendations regarding the complaint to the Commissioner or the Court.

Gaming

The Gaming Administration section is responsible for the scrutiny of the operation of all licences under the Gaming Machines Act. In particular, it is responsible for the approval of all gaming machines, games and equipment and for ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, regulation and codes of practice.

The section also collects gaming revenue from the gaming and wagering industries and produces and maintains gambling statistics.

The section provides advice in relation to legislative and policy matters including responsible gambling and harm minimisation and the development of appropriate technical standards for the gambling industries.

Casino Inspectorate

The Casino Inspectorate is responsible for the scrutiny of the operations of the Sky City Adelaide Casino.

Racing Services

Racing Services is responsible for the scrutiny of the betting operations of SA TAB, racing clubs and bookmakers and the licensing of bookmakers and agents.

Lottery Licensing

The Lottery Licensing section is responsible for ensuring all lotteries conducted are fair and equitable to all those who participate and that they are conducted in accordance with the Lottery and Gaming Act 1936 the Lottery and Gaming Regulations 1993.

The section also licenses charities to collect donations.

The History of our Office

The Office of the Licensing Commissioner commenced operations on 1 July 1985 as a result of the introduction of the Liquor Licensing Act of that year.

At the time, the Liquor Licensing Commissioner was responsible for the administration of the Liquor Licensing Act 1985 and the Casino Act 1983.

On 17 September 1992 the Gaming Machines Act was ascented to, and the responsibility for administering this Act was given to the Liquor and Gaming Commissioner.

On 1st October 2000, the Racing Services Section was created. The Liquor and Gambling Commissioner was given various responsibilities in relation to wagering under the Racing Act 1976. This Act was subsequently repealed and replaced by the Authorised Betting Operations Act 2000.

On 1 July 2004, the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner became responsible for the administration of the Lottery and Gaming Act 1936 and the Collections for Charitable Purposes Act 1939 and the Lottery Licensing section (formerly Lottery and Gaming section) was transferred from RevenueSA to the Office of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner.

The Commissioner's name changes since 1985 reflect the additional responsibilities of the position since 1985

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