Australian Leisure and Hospitality has been fined – without conviction – by the Victorian regulator, for multiple breaches of gaming regulations, after several instances of minors in gaming rooms.
Appearing in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria this week, ALH was fined $38K for incidents relating to three minors in restricted areas at three venues, over four dates in 2024.
The pub group self-reported the breaches to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) and pleaded guilty to all six charges*.
The Magistrate chose to not record a conviction, while noting the penalty would have been $90K – plus a conviction – were it not for the guilty plea. ALH was also ordered to pay the Commission’s legal costs, amounting to $40K.
VGCCC CEO Suzy Neilan says the self-reporting represents a positive step toward better industry practices but suggests prevention “is better than cure”, as the department continues in its vigilance in prosecuting venues for allowing minors to access gambling areas.
“Being accountable for wrongdoing demonstrates integrity, which has been a focus of the VGCCC’s ongoing work with gambling operators.
“But it’s not enough to own up after the fact. Venues must be proactive about ensuring that minors do not access poker machine areas by ensuring they have in place appropriate systems, processes and staff.”
The charges detailed arose from incidents involving three minors.
In January 2024 a 17-year-old was permitted to enter the poker machine area at Cramers Hotel, Preston, multiple times. Despite several interactions with staff he was not required to show ID. Staff are said to have only acted the next day, when the teen returned and place belongings beside an EGM.
In April two adults, accompanied by a child, entered the gaming room of the Excelsior Hotel, Thomastown. The child was seen pressing buttons on a machine before they were escorted from the area.
In September, a 14-year-old went into the gaming room of the Mountain View Hotel, Glen Waverley. He was able to play a machine for a period before staff intervened.
Neilan says venues put young people at risk by failing to prevent minors in these areas, or by ‘turning a blind eye’ to it, and stresses it is unacceptable that any Victorian clubs or hotels were repeat offenders, which was the case with the Cramers and Excelsior hotels.
The VGCCC recommends operators undertake a risk assessment and put controls in place to prevent minors from accessing gambling areas. This might include displaying clear signage that the poker machine room is for adults only, and making it policy to check the identification of anyone who appears under 25 years of age.
“I encourage all hotels and clubs to review their operations, including staff training, and consider making any adjustments required to ensure compliance with the law,” adds Neilan.
The Commission invites anyone with concerns about the behaviour of a gambling provider, or witnessing minors being allowed to gamble, to lodge a complaint or tip-off.
*SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Cramers Hotel, Excelsior Hotel and Mountain View Hotel were each charged with: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area, and Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble.
