Second binge-drinking scandal costs NSW hotel manager his licence
A Stockton hotel manager has lost his approval to run licensed premises after a patron was served 21 alcoholic drinks in five hours. This is the second time in two years that staff at the same venue have let the same customer drink to dangerous excess.
The NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) stripped Mark Keegan of his management approval over the incident at the Gladstone Hotel, finding he had failed to properly supervise the premises. The ruling means Keegan can no longer manage a licensed venue in the state.
According to the regulator, "on one occasion, it appears that one of the staff members began pouring another schooner of beer for the patron immediately as he finished his 18th beer without proper assessment." Another worker compounded the problem, with the ILGA noting that "another staff member also provided the patron with two shots (one tequila and one Cointreau) approximately five minutes apart as he was consuming his 13th beer." Staff were also found to have ignored other patrons shouting the man rounds of drinks, a factor regulators said contributed directly to his "advanced and inherently dangerous state of intoxication."
The case echoes a near-identical episode at the same hotel in 2022, when the same patron consumed 22 beers and a shot over six-and-a-half hours. That incident led to then-licensee Tracy Keegan, Mark Keegan's wife, being banned from the industry for two years. The Department of Liquor & Gaming argued the earlier breach should weigh on the penalty for the latest failure, given it involved the same venue and the same customer.
Keegan had contested the finding, arguing there was insufficient evidence the patron was visibly intoxicated before a stumble recorded at 4.43pm, or after service was cut off at 5.36pm. The ILGA rejected that defence, ruling he had failed in his duty of personal supervision and management of the hotel.
Liquor & Gaming NSW executive director of regulatory operations Dimitri Argeres said the case pointed to serious lapses in service standards, noting the venue had allowed someone to consume 21 alcoholic drinks "and become so intoxicated that they could not stand or walk unassisted," which he said represented "a significant failure of responsible service practices." He added: "This is particularly concerning given this is the second serious intoxication matter involving the Gladstone Hotel in recent years."
The ruling adds to mounting regulatory scrutiny of responsible service of alcohol (RSA) compliance across NSW venues, with authorities signalling repeat breaches at the same premises will factor heavily into future penalty decisions.
Jonathan Jackson, 27th July 2026
