Yet another fine has been leveled against Crown Resorts, this time for allowing an excluded individual to gamble for nearly 15 hours at the Crown Melbourne property.
Crown Melbourne is being fined AU$100,000 ($64,500) for the incident, which the head of the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission says underscores the need to protect vulnerable individuals.
“Exclusion is a critical harm minimization tool. It enables a clear barrier between an individual and the gambling environment especially during moments of vulnerability,” stated Suzy Neilan.
The incident occurred on the evening of October 31st of last year, when the individual entered Crown Melbourne and gambled continuously for 14 hours and 40 minutes.
Crown had previously excluded the person in August of 2024 ‘for welfare concerns’, notes the VGCCC.
The authority highlighted that during the time the excluded punter played, they were not approached by a Crown PlaySafe attendant or ‘any other employee’.
The VGCCC CEO noted that the individual also was not identified by Crown surveillance systems and “Crown staff only became aware of the breach after being alerted by a VGCCC inspector”.
The individual had made efforts to disguise their identity, but the VGCCC still stated that Crown had shortcomings in its systems and controls.
Such controls have been augmented in the last 12 months, with Crown assisting the VGCCC in its investigation and reconfiguring gaming floor entrances, location of facial recognition cameras and increasing training for entry point officers.
“This incident highlights the challenges of enforcing exclusions, but also the importance of continuous improvement and vigilance,” noted Neilan.
