VGCCC issues direction to minimise harm from gaming machines at Melbourne casino

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has issued a formal direction to Crown requiring Crown to implement a raft of new harm minimisation and anti-money laundering measures.

These measures incorporate key recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Casino Operator Licence and, in some instances, go beyond those recommendations.

This means that by December 2023, Crown is required to implement on all its electronic gaming machines (EGM):

• Mandatory carded play, meaning that all EGM play at the casino will be linked to a patron’s identity. This is a key anti-money laundering measure.

• Mandatory pre-commitment using the YourPlay system. The YourPlay system ensures players set time and spend limits prior to playing. While YourPlay will continue to operate on a voluntary basis for patrons at other venues, at the Melbourne Casino a player will not be able to continue to play beyond their pre-set limits.

In addition, the VGCCC welcomes the positive actions proposed by Crown that will boost harm minimisation and anti-money laundering measures on EGMs beyond those recommended by the Royal Commission. Those measures, which have been incorporated into the Direction, will ensure that Crown:

• removes all ‘unrestricted’ gaming machines from the general gaming floor, making them accessible only in high-roller areas
• removes from all unrestricted gaming machines the continuous play function (the ability to hold down a button and continue gambling) and imposes the same minimum spin rate as other gaming machines in Victoria
• limits the maximum credits able to be loaded into a machine to $1,000, consistent with other Victorian gaming venues.

VGCCC Commission Chairperson Fran Thorn said:

“We have again demonstrated our strong commitment to minimising gambling harm and reducing the risk of money laundering by going above and beyond Royal Commission recommendations in our Direction to Crown.

“We were pleased to see Crown step up and identify additional measures beyond those recommended by the Royal Commission to improve the safety and integrity of gaming at the Melbourne casino. 

“We will be carefully monitoring the implementation of these changes.”

Background

An electronic gaming machine’s spin rate is the time interval between spins. Continuous play means a button on a gaming machine can be continually depressed so the machine can be played continuously.

Unrestricted gaming machine means EGMs at Crown Casino where spin rate, bet limit, autoplay and note acceptors are unrestricted. Crown is permitted to have 1,000 of these machines operating at the Melbourne Casino.