ILGA has handed down penalty of $200,000 in fines and costs to Dee Why RSL, for “irresponsible” practices in its gaming operation believed to have contributed to the suicide of Gary Van Duinen.
A Liquor & Gaming NSW investigation exposed how the Club had wined and dined 45-year-old Van Duinen, a resident of nearby Cromer. Dee Why RSL was formed in 1937 and boasts more than 50,000 members.
The self-employed builder had become a ‘Diamond’ member of the Club’s rewards program, counting 170 visits to play the machines in the two years before his death, 31 May 2018.
On average he played for nearly six hours per visit, with some sessions lasting up to 13 hours. His membership data revealed during this time he gambled more than $3.7 million at the Club (an average of $22,333 per visit), losing a total of $230,000.
The Diamond membership brought him benefits including VIP parking, private red-carpet entry, personalised hosting, priority paging on the gaming floor, and the accrual of reward points. As a top-100 player he was targeted to receive ‘high roller’ benefits, such as harbour cruises and race-day events.
His wife, Sonia Van Duinen, told L&G he was “treated like royalty by the Club … he enjoyed it”.
L&G found the RSL’s practices “likely to encourage the misuse and abuse of gambling” and ignored his serious gambling addiction.
“This contravened both gaming machines and registered clubs’ legislation,” says Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) chair Philip Crawford.
The $200,000 penalty is the biggest ever imposed on a licensed venue in NSW, exceeding the recent $172,000 penalty imposed on two Woolworths-owned ALH hotels for gaming mis-practice.
ILGA has also placed extraordinary special conditions on the Club’s licence, including a round-the-clock responsible gambling marshal, who must monitor gaming areas for signs of problem gambling and engage with patrons showing these signs.
Current regulations dictate Clubs are required to operate self-exclusion schemes, but in another first, ILGA has ordered it set up a third-party exclusion scheme, making it possible for family and friends of a problem gambler to have someone banned from entering the venue.
Crawford says the record penalty was justified, given the Club’s failure to help Van Duinen – despite complaints from his wife and information indicating his gambling problem.
“Mr Van Duinen died in tragic circumstances. His heavy gambling occurred at a club that was giving him special treatment while failing to recognise his problem, despite having extensive data to do so.”
In 2018 the NSW Government executed reforms to the gaming machine local impact process, and is now exploring options for a State-wide exclusion scheme.
Also being considered are rules that would see more responsibility fall on hotels and clubs, to proactively interact with and support gaming machine players who show signs of problematic gambling.
The regulator says these reforms will be put to the community for comment.
A full copy of the ILGA decision can be found on the Liquor & Gaming NSW website HERE.
My husbands life was worth more than $200000! If the club had listened to my constant pleas for help, I strongly believe Gary would be here today.
That money at lest should go to the family not govt coffers