By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
Liquor & Gaming NSW yesterday announced that venues will be able to extend their trading hours to show the Socceroos’ Confederations Cup matches.
The Confederations Cup is a football tournament that takes place the year before the World Cup, in the nation that will host the World Cup, with only the host nation and the winners of each regional confederation’s tournament taking part in the competition. As Asian champions, the Socceroos will be taking part this year, with their first match to take place on Tuesday.
As the tournament is taking place in Russia, the Socceroos matches commence at 1am AEST. If they make it to the knock-out stages, the matches will take place at 4am.
As such, the NSW Government will allow venues broadcasting the games to extend their trading hours from midnight to 5am on 20, 23 and 26 June. If the Socceroos qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament, the trading hours can be extended from 4am to 5 am on 29 June, 30 June and 3 July (only for matches where the Socceroos are playing).
The extended trading will not change Sydney’s last drinks and lockouts laws or the sale of takeaway alcohol state-wide. Venues must still comply with previously imposed licence conditions and restrictions under local council planning laws.
Australian Hotelier has contacted the all other state Governments to see whether they will also be allowing extended trading hours for the tournament. A spokesperson for the Liquor and Gaming Branch of the Department of Treasury and Finance in Tasmania said the Commissioner for Licensing has no plans to extend trading hours for the event.
A spokesperson for Racing, Gaming and Liquor in Western Australia said licensees would have to apply for an Extended Trading Permit (ETP) which would be decided on a case-by-case basis, with the Northern Territory also following suit. Similarly, the Commission for Liquor and Gaming in Queensland will consider ETP applications, while an OLGR Queensland spokesperson notes that licensed premises can remain open beyond their approved liquor hours, as long as they do not serve liquor.