NTRWC Freezes Hospitality from Betting Companies During Ethics Review

Australia’s most influential wagering regulator has placed a temporary stop on commissioners accepting any hospitality from betting companies, marking a significant shift in how the organisation manages its relationship with the industry.

The Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission (NTRWC), which oversees most of the companies serving players at Australian online casinos and sportsbooks, has paused all hospitality from betting operators while it finalises a new code of conduct.

A Regulator at the Centre of the Country’s Wagering System

Although physically based in Darwin, the NTRWC oversees operators that serve punters nationwide. Low tax rates and a streamlined licensing system have led 43 online betting companies to base their Australian operations in the NT, cementing the commission’s role as the country’s dominant regulator for digital wagering.

This unusual setup has long drawn attention, but the level of scrutiny increased dramatically this year as questions were raised about commissioners’ ties to the businesses they regulate.

Concerns About Perceived Favouritism Spark Action

Public debate intensified after it emerged that the commission’s chair, Alastair Shields, had previously attended major racing events as a guest of some of the bookmakers under the commission’s watch. That triggered a broader conversation about whether regulators should be accepting hospitality from the companies they oversee.

Further investigation highlighted additional concerns. Several former and current commissioners were found to have personal links to the racing industry, including racehorse ownership, prompting critics to argue that both real and perceived conflicts of interest needed better management.

Rather than waiting for external intervention, the commission introduced the hospitality freeze as a short-term safeguard while it revisits its rules.

New Conduct Code Will Set Stricter Standards

The NTRWC is now drafting a code that will establish clear expectations for commissioners and outline how offers of hospitality must be handled in the future. The code is intended to sit alongside the Racing and Wagering Act 2024 and the NT government’s governance guidelines, bringing all ethical requirements into a single, more transparent framework.

The commission has already clarified that the new code will not prohibit racehorse ownership outright. Instead, interests will continue to be declared and managed through recusal and formal recording in government documents.

A Parallel Government Review Still Underway

While the commission develops its own rules, the NT Department of Tourism and Hospitality is carrying out an independent review of the regulator. That review is examining what protections are in place to ensure impartiality, how conflicts are handled, and whether eligibility criteria for commissioners should be tightened.

So far, the department has released minimal details. It has been said that a summary of the findings is expected early next year. Still, questions remain about claims that oversight was strengthened earlier this year, as evidence has not been publicly provided.

Political calls for a parliamentary inquiry have been rejected so far. Independent MLA Justine Davis continues to argue that an external investigation is necessary to improve accountability and rebuild trust.

What the Freeze Means Going Forward

The halt on hospitality will remain in effect until the new code is finalized. Operators will still be regulated under existing rules, but the commission’s approach to relationships with betting companies will be more cautious while reforms take shape.

Although the commission has defended its oversight framework in the past, this hospitality freeze marks one of the clearest acknowledgments that public expectations around transparency and independence are shifting. With the online wagering sector continuing to grow, and criticism becoming more frequent,  the NTRWC is under ongoing pressure to show that it can operate at arm’s length from the industry it supervises.