The Victoria state government, in Australia, has announced new limits on gambling time for patrons of Crown Melbourne, issuing a direction on Monday morning ‘to ensure Crown Melbourne becomes a global leader in the reduction of harm’.
A release by the state premier’s office notes that punters who have gambled for 12 hours in any 24-hour period ‘will be required to take a break of 24 hours’.
In addition, no patrons will be allowed to gamble ‘for more than 36 hours in a single week’.
Crown responsible gaming staff ‘will have power to exclude them (those gaming more than stipulated) from the casino floor’.
Another mandate is that Crown must enforce 15-minute breaks for individuals gambling for three consecutive hours.
The new direction also includes how and when responsible gambling staff should interact with patrons ‘demonstrating observable signs of gambling harm’.
Crown now has six months to update its code. ‘Any breaches of the code may lead to disciplinary action from the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCC)’, with a maximum penalty of ‘up to AU$100 million ($66.77 million)’.
Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Minister Melissa Horne notes that “This Direction reflects my expectations that Crown must aim to be a global leader in the reduction of gambling harm – or lose their license”.
The new direction goes in line with recommendation 11 from the Royal Commission, which released a scathing report identifying breaches of Crown Melbourne’s code of conduct over a period of some 12 years.
“Crown is on track to implement mandatory pre-commitment in all electronic gaming machines by the end of this year,” adds Minister Horne. “When combined with the strengthened code of conduct, the harm reduction protections will be world leading for a casino of this size,” congratulations the Minister.
Responding to the new direction, Crown Melbourne CEO Mike Volkert notes that “we will now work at pace to train our new members and embed the new Code”.
The CEO notes that Corwn has been undergoing a “whole-of-company transformation that has been underway for more than 18 months […] this includes the implementation of our new and enhanced approach to responsible gambling which aims to bring about a healthier, safer gambling culture for all”.
Also released in the Victoria state direction are mandates that gambling advertisers replace the tagline “gamble responsibly” on their adverts with ‘new evidence-based warnings that better challenge people to think about their activity and minimize harm’.
These include “chances are, you’re about to lose” and “You win some. You lose more”.
The taglines will be accompanied by details for gambling support services.
