1. Responsible Service of Alcohol NSW Online : Mojito Promo
Banned in Kings Cross
It was going to be an attempt at record breaking for one club in the Kings Cross district but due
to a warning from the OLGR, Club 21 (trading as No Vacancy) had to cancel its Mojito making
event.
The event was promoted by organisers by inviting patrons to come and get “legless”, which
struck a chord with the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing prompting them to issue a warning
about irresponsible alcohol promotions and banning the mojito world record event.
The aim of the club was to make 2000 mojitos in record time to break the Guinness World
Record and invite patrons to come and consume the drinks made within an hour however
authorities felt that this was a breach of alcohol laws because it encouraged patrons to binge
drink and abuse alcohol.
According to the OLGR, Club 21 was “blatantly reckless”with their advertising and by promoting
the excessive and rapid consumptions of alcohol leading to drunkenness. This raised further
questions about the venue’s compliance with responsible service of alcohol laws and put the
venue in a negative light.
Read what HospitalityMagazine.com.au had to say about the incident:
The Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) has issued a warning about
irresponsible alcohol promotions after banning a Kings Cross nightclub from a weekend
promotion.
The licensee of Club 21 trading as No Vacancy at Kings Cross, PoataOkeroa, was
ordered to cancel a Friday night promotion which aimed to “break the Guinness World
Record for the most mojito cocktails made in one hour”.
Promotion of the event on Facebook promised “2000 mojitos waiting to be downed at
the start of the night” and told patrons “we’ll be waiting at the bar ready to get legless
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2. with all of you”.
OLGR issued a warning notice to the club that the “Mojito Motel” promotion would
breach liquor laws by encouraging the misuse and abuse of alcohol and could result in a
$5,500 fine, prompting the licensee to cancel the event.
Source:
http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/beverage/kings-cross-mojito-record-promo-ban-
prompts-warnin
According to the OLGR promotions like this only promote the idea of rapid and irresponsible
drinking behaviour which then contributes to other social problems like becoming a public
nuisance, alcohol fuelled violence and other anti-social behaviour. In fact in Oz, around half of
all violent crimes have been attributed to excessive alcohol consumption. Licensees need to be
aware of this, as well as their responsibility in sales and supply of alcohol to the public.
The post goes on to state:
“Not only was this reckless promotion planned in high risk Kings Cross but on the same
day that a draft of new regulations were brought into effect for the precinct.
“All licensees need to responsibly promote the sale, supply, service and consumption
ofalcohol or they are breaking the law.
“If a venue is identified as causing alcohol-related problems in their community through
an irresponsible alcohol promotion then OLGR can issue a written direction ordering
them to stop the promotion immediately or face fines of up to $5,500.
Source:
http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/beverage/kings-cross-mojito-record-promo-ban-
prompts-warnin
Licensees also face court action should they deliberately encourage abuse of alcohol which
could see them lose their licence for an amount of time. Licenced venues and their staff must
undergo Responsible Service of Alcohol training and comply with all RSA laws, such as refusing
alcohol to an already visibly intoxicated person. Failure to do so could result in hefty fines for the
venue and the staff.
RSA Online NSW RSA NSW
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