What’s the difference between RCG and ARCG?

RCG and ARCG are required certificates for anyone who works, or wants to work, in the gaming industry. Gaming as in pokie machines, not as in building the next Mario Kart.

RCG stands for Responsible Conduct of Gambling, and ARCG stands for Advanced Responsible Conduct of Gambling. Both are needed, just by different people: RCG is for general staff in a venue with gaming machines, and ARCG is for senior staff members.

It can be confusing to know when an RCG will do and when you'll actually need an ARCG. This article will demystify the whole thing and give you a bit more detail on each course along the way.

What is an RCG Certificate?

As stated above it stands for Responsible Conduct of Gambling and is a mandatory requirement for people who working in the gambling industry in NSW. Finishing the course will give you the nationally recognised unit of competency SITHGAM022 – Provide Responsible Service of Gambling.

Who needs it?

If you live in NSW and your work duties involves gaming machines then RCG training is mandatory. The following people will need to complete RCG training:

• Licensees with a full hotel licence

• Secretaries of a registered club

• Directors of registered clubs with gaming machines, unless they have completed Responsible Gambling Board Oversight training (from 30 June 2025)

• Directors of companies that own hotels with gaming machines, who are involved in the operations of hotels (from 30 June 2025)

• Staff with gaming machine duties

• Staff who pay out winnings

• Staff who patrol or serve in a gaming machine area

• Responsible Gambling Officers (RGOs)

• Any person planning to enrol in Advanced Responsible Conduct of Gambling (ARCG) training

What do you learn in this course?

It may seem like just something you need to tick off before getting a job but we encourage you to take the course seriously.

The goal of the RCG course is to promote healthy and responsible attitudes when providing and facilitating gaming entertainment.

The key learning outcomes from the RCG NSW course include:

• Understanding the lay of the land – the different types and popularity of gaming and gambling in NSW and Australia

• How to promote responsible gambling services

• How to minimise gambling harm in your venue

• Your responsibilities and expectations when working in a gaming area or venue

• How to identify, respond and assist patrons who are showing signs of problematic gambling behaviours

Can it be done self-paced?

RCG courses can be completed either face-to-face or virtually in an online classroom. Both of these options have an instructor who will take you through the course. In general, RCG courses are completed in a single day.

The course can not be completed self-paced.

What’s the difference between an RSG and RCG?

You may have heard about an RSG (Responsible Service of Gambling/Gaming) when you’ve been looking up RCG and wondered what that is. RCG and RSG are almost identical.

They are both mandatory certificates for staff working in gaming venues in Australia. Both of them aim to promote healthy gambling and harm-minimisation techniques to staff.

The difference between them is that RCG is necessary in New South Wales while an RSG is used in Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Victoria. The other difference is that an RCG must be completed face-to-face or via virtual training with a trainer, while an RSG can often be completed self-paced online.

One key thing to remember is that an RCG is not valid in any other state and an RSG is not valid in NSW.

What is ARCG?

We’ve covered what RCG is but the question next is what is ARCG?

ARCG stands for Advanced Responsible Conduct of Gambling. It’s the next step up from RCG. Like RCG it’s a mandatory course and certificate. However, it is non-accredited so finishing an ARCG course will not gain you a unit of competency.

Before starting your ARCG course, you will need to complete an RCG course first.

The ARCG is designed to provide leaders in venues with gambling machines with the skills and knowledge to address more complex situations around gambling.

Most people will only need to get an RCG course, they will never need to get an ARCG but to help you figure out fi you need it, below we’ll cover who needs it.

Who needs it?

• Responsible Gambling Officers (RGOs)

AND people in senior operational roles including:

• Club secretaries

• Club directors, (unless they have completed Responsible Gambling Board Oversight training)

• Directors of a company that own one or more hotels, if they have an operational role

• Hotel licensees

• Hotel ‘approved managers’ (as defined in section 91(1A) of the Liquor Act 2007)

• Staff who supervise gaming machine operations and RGOs.

This course is also suitable for staff who already hold RCG endorsement on their NSW competency card and want to build their skills beyond standard RCG procedures.

What do you learn in this course?

Here’s what you can expect to learn through this course.

1. Anticipating and preventing high-intensity situations

2. Managing high-intensity situations, including:

   • Angry patrons

   • Distressed patrons

   • Concerned family members

3. Leading a culture of proactive gambling harm minimisation

4. Responsible conduct of gambling in practice

By the end of the course, you should know:

• How to identify, approach and support those showing signs of or experiencing gambling harm.

• How to refer patrons to support services if they are experiencing gambling harm.

• Effective conflict resolution strategies to deal with those showing anger or aggression.

• How non-specialised staff can be taught to identify and report signs of harm minimisation.

• How to develop and maintain a culture of responsible gambling in your venue.

• How to implement a Gambling Incident Register and Gaming Plan of Management to ensure your venue is compliant.

What is the difference between RCG and ARCG?

The TLDR of the article whole article is:

RCG is for general staff in gambling/gaming venues in NSW  and ARCG is for senior staff who deal with more serious situations relating to gambling.

RCG courses equip team members with the skills and knowledge to deal with general situations they may encounter in the venue such as promoting responsible gambling, minimizing gambling harm and identifying problem gambling.

ARCG expands on the above and also adds in more management focused knowledge, developing a culture of responsible gambling, ensuring your venue is compliant and conflict resolution strategies.



So there you have it. RCG and ARCG aren't an either/or. ARCG is just the next step up from RCG.

For most people, an RCG is all you'll ever need. It gives you the nationally recognised SITHGAM022 unit and covers the everyday stuff: promoting responsible gambling, minimising harm in your venue, and spotting patrons who might be showing signs of problem gambling.

You'll only need an ARCG if you step into a senior role, like an RGO, a licensee, an approved manager, or someone supervising gaming operations. It builds on what you learned in your RCG and adds the management side of things: conflict resolution, keeping your venue compliant, and leading a culture of responsible gambling.

One last thing to remember: you can't do ARCG without an RCG first. So if you're just getting started, get your RCG sorted and you'll be good to go. And if you're moving up into a leadership role, the ARCG is your next stop.