Casino ordered to enforce gambling breaks after huge fine
Crown Casino must stop patrons from gambling for more than 36 hours a week after it was hit with a record $120 million fine for breaching gambling laws, while the head of Star casinos has resigned months into his role as the operator deals with the fallout of a damning inquiry into its own operations.
Photo: AAP
In November, Victoria’s gambling regulator penalised the Melbourne casino saying it had breached laws for more than a decade and consistently failed to stop people gaming for long periods.
People who gamble for 12 hours in a single 24-hour period will now have to take a 24-hour break under updates to the casino’s code of conduct, which the government has given Crown six months to include.
Casino, Gambling and Liquor Regulation Minister Melissa Horne said she directed Crown to add the protections in a bid to stop problem gambling.
Crown faces penalties of up to $100 million if it breaches a direction.
“This direction reflects my expectations that Crown must aim to be a global leader in the reduction of gambling harm – or lose their license,” Horne said.
“Crown is on track to implement mandatory pre-commitment in all electronic gaming machines by the end of this year.
“When combined with the strengthened code of conduct, the harm reduction protections will be world leading for a casino of this size.”
The code requires Crown to enforce 15-minute breaks for people gambling for three consecutive hours.
The direction implements a recommendation from a damning 2021 royal commission, which found the Southbank casino breached its code of conduct for the responsible service of gambling over about 12 years.
The direction also includes further guidance for staff about how and when they should intervene when gamblers show signs of harm, the government said.
Horne has also gazetted another direction, which requires gambling advertisers to replace the “gamble responsibly” tagline with others including: “Chances are, you’re about to lose”, and, “You win some. You lose more”.
The Crown order came as the chief executive of Sydney’s Star casino resigned months into his role, as the embattled gaming operator reforms in the wake of its damning regulatory action.
NSW’s gaming regulator suspended Star’s Sydney licence in October and slapped a record $100 million fine on the company after an inquiry found the casino had allowed money laundering to take place inside private rooms and identified numerous compliance failures.
A similar review in Queensland also fined Star $100 million and found it unfit to hold the two casino licences in the state after the company neglected anti-money laundering and responsible gaming duties in the state.
Shareholders have separately launched a class action against the group over its failure to disclose money laundering links to organised crime.
Shares in the casino group closed on Friday at $1.43, less than half of their value the same time last year.
-with AAP
