How do you get your RCG in NSW?
Do the one-day RCG course, pass the Liquor & Gaming NSW online assessment, then take your interim certificate and ID to Service NSW for your card.
Written byEdway
The short answer
Working in gaming is a great way to earn money in a fun and exciting environment. To get your RCG in NSW, you complete the one-day Responsible Conduct of Gambling course, then pass a short online assessment from Liquor & Gaming NSW. That gives you an interim certificate, so you can start work with gaming machines straight away. You then take the interim certificate and your ID to Service NSW to get your competency card.
Responsible Gambling Service training: what you need before you book
RCG training is mandatory in NSW for anyone who works with gaming machines. That includes gaming-floor staff, staff who pay out winnings, hotel licensees, club secretaries and directors, and Responsible Gambling Officers. It is one of the first steps into the industry, and your RCG certificate opens the door to gaming work in pubs and clubs.
Before you book, make sure you have:
- valid photo ID
- a USI (Unique Student Identifier)
- enough English to complete the course
- a current email address and mobile number, because the online assessment link is sent to them
You must be 18 or over to work with gaming machines. There is no prerequisite course. After booking, you complete a short online language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills check (LLND). You can try a free 10-minute practice check first to see the level.
RCG training Sydney or Zoom: choose how you study
The RCG course takes 1 day. It covers gambling in Australia and NSW, gambling harm, harm-minimisation measures, how to talk with patrons, and how responsible gambling works in practice. You learn how gambling can affect people in their everyday life, and how to keep a safe environment for patrons and your colleagues. A single day makes it easy to fit training around work.
You can choose:
- Classroom in Sydney. Sessions run at Darlinghurst, Seven Hills and Mona Vale.
- Zoom class. A live online class with a trainer, when dates are available on the course page.
Responsible Gambling Service training online runs as a live Zoom class, so you learn with a trainer and a group from wherever you are.
The course is delivered and issued by Edway Training (RTO 91401), a Liquor & Gaming NSW Approved Training Provider. The price is on the course page.
Interim certificate and the competency card
After the course, these are the steps:
- Your course is lodged with Liquor & Gaming NSW. You then get an email and SMS from OneGov with a link to an online assessment. It has 25 questions, and you must get them all right to pass.
- When you pass, follow the prompts and tick the declaration. Your interim certificate is issued. It is valid for 90 days, and you can work with gaming machines straight away.
- Take your interim certificate and 100 points of ID to Service NSW. You must apply in person yourself.
- Your digital card appears in the Service NSW app straight after the ID check.
- Your physical card is posted. Allow about a month. The card cost is included in the course price.
You also get a Statement of Attainment for SITHGAM022 Provide responsible gambling services. It is emailed when you finish, and you can download it from your student account.
Short courses RCG holders use to renew, and when you need the full course
Your NSW competency card is valid for 5 years. Before it expires, you renew it with the online RCG refresher from Liquor & Gaming NSW, and you pay only the card-issue fee.
You cannot redo the full course while your card is current. If your card expired more than 28 days ago, you need to do the full RCG course again.
Keeping your card current keeps you ready for every shift.
If you already hold an RSA card
An RSA covers serving alcohol. An RCG covers gaming machines. Add an RSA when you also serve alcohol. Many pub and club staff hold both, and that pairing makes you useful right across the venue. Our guide RSA or RCG explains the difference.
The RCG is recorded as an endorsement on a NSW competency card.
If you already hold a NSW competency card for your RSA, the RCG is added to that same card as a second endorsement, so you carry one card for both.
Still need your RSA? See how to get your RSA in NSW. If you will be a Responsible Gambling Officer, you need RCG first and then the Advanced RCG. Our guide who needs the Advanced RCG? explains when.
Your NSW RCG is not automatically recognised in other states. Check with the regulator in that state if you plan to move.
Next step
Get started on your new career in gaming today. Choose a classroom session in Sydney or a Zoom class, then book. Go to the RCG course page to see dates.
Sources
- Liquor & Gaming NSW — Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) trainingRCG is mandatory for gaming work in NSW (named in prose only)
- Liquor & Gaming NSW — Get or renew a competency cardInterim certificate, competency card, refresher (named in prose only)
- Edway knowledge base — courses/rcg/index.mdCourse topics, duration, who it is for, requirements
- Edway knowledge base — courses/rcg/offerings.yamlSydney classroom venues, Zoom offering, issuing RTO
- Edway knowledge base — courses/rcg/recognition.mdClaim steps, interim certificate, card validity, refresher, expired-card rule
- Edway knowledge base — courses/rcg/faq.yamlWhether you also need RSA; refresher not run by Edway
