Victoria’s regulator has wielded the axe again, fining the country’s biggest pub operator nearly half a million dollars, and forcing Tabcorp to make most of its betting terminals cashless.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has fined Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) $480k for operating electronic gaming machines (EGMs) at eight venues outside of nominated trading hours, and for failing to observe mandatory shutdown periods.
ALH is the largest operator of EGMs in Australia and the state, holding 4,690 machines across 76 venues in Victoria alone.
In Victoria, as well as complying with their specific hours, venues are required to shut down for four hours after every 20 hours of gaming.
Between 15 February 2023 and 25 May 2023 the VGCCC detected activity outside of the permitted hours on 15 EGMs across eight ALH venues.
A fine of $420,000 was issued for breaches between February and April 2023 at First and Last Hotel, Croxton Park Hotel, Albion Charles Hotel, Berwick Inn Taverner, The Millers Inn Hotel, Village Green Hotel and Elsternwick Hotel, and a further fine of $60,000 was issued for misdoings on 25 May 2023 at the Boundary Taverner.
“Ensuring patrons take breaks and are not exposed to extended, continuous periods of play are critical to the responsible service of gambling,” says VGCCC CEO Annette Kimmitt AM.
“The VGCCC will continue to monitor gaming machine operations to ensure our expectations are being met.”
Separately, the state regulator issued a statewide direction that from late January 2024 Tabcorp’s betting terminals must not accept cash bets – unless they are within five metres and in the line of sight of the counter.
This means around 70 per cent of Tabcorp’s 1,800 Electronic Betting Terminals across Victoria will change to only accept vouchers, which must be purchased at the counter by patrons, where they will be subject to ID checking.
Tabcorp must also implement an independent ‘mystery shopper’ program to ensure venues are appropriately checking ID.
Failure to comply with the new requirements will result in an escalating series of penalties for venues.
Over the past eight months the VGCCC has charged Tabcorp, along with nine venues, for offences related to allegedly allowing a minor to gamble in breach of the Gambling Regulation Act 2003:
- allowing a minor within a gaming machine area
- allowing a minor to gamble, and
- failing to reasonably supervise Electronic Betting Terminals
A tipoff from a member of the public led to many of the charges. In August ALH was prosecuted and fined $550k for operating 220 EGMs without Victoria’s mandatory pre-commitment technology (YourPlay) installed.
Charges against Tabcorp and the venues refer to incidents between 8 September 2022 and 20 October 2023. Tabcorp faces a total of 72 charges.
“Venue staff are the first line of defence in protecting minors from gambling,” furthers Kimmitt.
“We have taken decisive measures where they have failed to take their responsibilities seriously”.
