Couple lose pub licence after serving over 40 beers to one man in just two days

Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.

A couple in Australia have lost their pub licence after allowing one customer to put away more than 40 alcoholic drinks across just two days.

Bartenders are expected to start asking questions long before someone reaches drink number 20, but authorities say that wasn't the case in one New South Wales pub.

The Gladstone Hotel in Stockton ended up in hot water after regulators found that staff allegedly failed to step in during two separate drinking sessions involving the same customer.

Now, the venue's managers have been sanctioned after Liquor and Gaming NSW ruled the man had been allowed to drink well past the point of intoxication.

A pub has lost its license after serving the same man more than 40 drinks across two days. (Getty Stock Image)

The most serious incident happened on 23 March 2024, when the customer walked into the pub shortly after midday and stayed for around five hours, AFP reports.

By the time he eventually left, he'd reportedly been served 19 beers, a tequila and a Cointreau.

According to investigators, it wasn't exactly subtle that the drinks were catching up to him either.

Witnesses described seeing the customer 'stumbling into furniture' and becoming 'overly friendly with other patrons' as the afternoon wore on.

CCTV footage shared by the NSW hospitality and tourism department showed the man collapsing in the street outside the pub after leaving, before a passerby stepped in to help him. He was later assisted into a car.

Despite the warning signs, regulators found that bar manager Mark Keegan continued serving the customer, even bringing over another beer before the previous one had been finished.

Regulators allege the bar manager had brought over another beer before the previous one had been finished. (Getty Stock Image)

Liquor and Gaming NSW executive director of regulatory operations Dimitri Argeres said: "This patron displayed multiple signs of intoxication that should have been identified and acted upon by staff well before the patron reached such a dangerous state."

Keegan has maintained the customer appeared fine throughout the afternoon, insisting the only sign that he'd noticed was a 'slight stumble'.

Remarkably, it wasn't the first time the same drinker had landed the pub in trouble.

wasn't It wasn't the first time the same drinker had landed the pub in trouble. (Getty Stock Photo)

Earlier in 2024, Keegan's wife was banned from managing the venue after the very same customer was served another 22 beers and a shot during a separate visit.

While Australia's love of beer isn't quite what it used to be, it's still a huge part of the country's identity.

Official figures estimate Australians drank an estimated 82 litres of beer per person during the 2019-20 financial year. Although that's down compared with previous decades, cases like this are exactly why strict responsible service of alcohol laws exist.

Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.