Seven Hills RSL General Manager banned for five years following Liquor & Gaming investigation

 The General Manager of Seven Hills RSL, who received more than $280,000 in undisclosed cash payments from a club contractor, has been banned from holding office in NSW registered clubs for five years following a Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) investigation. The investigation began after L&GNSW received a complaint regarding Joseph Bayssari that raised serious bribery and corruption allegations. 

The complaint alleged he received cash payments, accepted free food and other gifts, failed to disclose benefits received from a contractor, had family members employed by the contractor and received financial assistance for renovations to his children's homes.  Subsequent investigations uncovered extensive governance failures, including undisclosed cash payments, gifts, benefits and conflicts of interest. 

L&GNSW investigated the matter and referred a disciplinary complaint to the NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA).  ILGA found Mr Bayssari 'behaved dishonestly’, engaged in 'systematic misconduct’ and acted contrary to the best interests of the club over a four-and-a-half-year period. 

It found he received $35,000 without a legitimate explanation, accepted regular payments of $2,000 from a club supplier between 2018 and 2022 totalling $280,000, and awarded catering contracts to his son's company without a transparent tender process.  ILGA found the conduct seriously undermined the governance, accountability and management of the club and determined Mr Bayssari was not a fit and proper person to hold office in a registered club.  L&GNSW Executive Director Regulatory Operations Dimitri Argeres said the outcome sent a strong message to the registered clubs’ sector. 

"Club officials are entrusted to act in the best interests of their members and uphold the highest standards of integrity and accountability,” Mr Argeres said. 

"This investigation uncovered years of undisclosed payments, benefits and conflicts of interest that fundamentally undermined good governance. 

"Registered clubs are not vehicles for personal benefit. Where serious misconduct is identified, Liquor & Gaming will take strong regulatory action to protect the integrity of the sector and maintain public confidence in registered clubs. 

"This is another example of why it is crucial for clubs to have strong governance processes in place to prevent and identify misconduct.” 

ILGA has declared Mr Bayssari ineligible for five years to stand for election, be appointed to, or hold office as a secretary or member of the governing body of any registered club in NSW. It also imposed the maximum monetary penalty of $11,000 and ordered him to pay L&GNSW's investigation costs of $7,811. 

This follows other recent ILGA decisions including Erina club official banned and fined for compliance failures 

For ILGA's decision report on the matter visit: Disciplinary-decision-Mr-Joseph-Bayssari-Seven-Hills-Toongabbie-RSL-Club-Ltd-Seven-Hills.pdf

Liquor & Gaming NSW,  6^th August 2026