Crown fined $2 million for allowing problem gamblers to place bets
Crown Melbourne has been slapped with a $2 million fine for allowing hundreds of people who had self-excluded from gambling to place bets at the casino.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission found the casino allowed 242 people who had opted to self-exclude themselves from the venue to place bets over an 8-month period, between October 2023 and May 2024.
Aside from breaching the Casino Control Act 1991, VGCCC chair Fran Thorn said, “it also contravenes Crown Melbourne’s obligation to protect people at risk of gambling harm.” The fine comes as both the Federal and State governments weight up imposing tougher regulations regarding gambling.
“Those who self-exclude must be able to trust that gambling providers will take all reasonable steps to enforce their decision to avail themselves of this harm prevention initiative,” Thorn said.
“By allowing people who have self-excluded to enter the casino and gamble, Crown has put them at risk of experiencing further gambling harm. However, it is also clear that a number of these self-excluded patrons are going to considerable lengths to avoid detection and break their exclusion requirements.”
The breaches were detected through VGCCC’s “ongoing monitoring of the casino’s operations” and were deemed to be due to “system and control failures rather than deliberate or egregious disregard by Crown of its regulatory obligations”.
The commission has also ordered the casino to engage an independent expert “to assess the effectiveness of, and make recommendations for improving, the management of its self-exclusion program”.
In April this year, the VGCCC directed Crown Melbourne to implement a transformation plan to continue its reform and remediation.
“The VGCCC is committed to ensuring Crown continues its reform efforts,” Thorn said.
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