Victoria’s regulator has wrapped up its most comprehensive action to date combatting underage gambling, taking three more licensed venues separately to task in the past month.
Appearing in the Magistrates’ Court, Supreme Edinburgh P/L, trading as the Duke of Edinburgh in Brunswick, pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching the Gambling Regulation Act 2003.
The operator was fined $2,500 and ordered to pay the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) costs of $4,950.
Similarly, Victorian Amateur Turf Club, owner of the Peninsula Club in Dromana, appeared over five breaches of the Act, allowing a minor to enter the gaming area and use poker machines.
The Court issued a fine of $7K and ordered the Club to pay VGCCC costs of $3,500, but no conviction was recorded.
Also, Correct Bet P/L, operator of the Coburg TAB outlet, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to a minor.
Magistrate Hodgson reportedly considered Correct Bet’s lack of prior convictions, through 14 years of operation across multiple venues, and that the venue had implemented additional measures, including staff training and CCTV monitoring. The company was fined $3K and ordered to pay costs of $5,500, with no conviction recorded.
The VGCCC reports it has also filed charges against Warrnambool pub the Flying Horse, for allegedly allowing minors to enter a poker machine area. This matter is scheduled to appear in Court later this year.
These latest prosecutions follow that of the Peninsula Club in Dromana, where it was revealed in court that a child had twice entered the gambling area, in June 2023, on the second occasion playing a poker machine for about five minutes before staff intervened. In this case Magistrate Ayres considered the venue’s self-reporting, lack of prior convictions, early plea and remediations it has implemented.
Charges against Correct Bet and Supreme Edinburgh were the final outcomes of the Victorian regulator’s most comprehensive underage gambling action to date, resulting in more than 2,000 hours of investigations, 98 charges, 14 prosecutions against 10 entities, and fines totalling half-a-million dollars.
The VGCCC encourages anyone with concerns about minors being permitted to gamble – or the behaviour of a gambling provider – to lodge a complaint or tip-off.
The major investigation was sparked by concerns of the mother of a young neurodiverse man, 17 at the time, who was considered at high risk of gambling harm. Charges have arisen from his activity at a swag of venues, dating back to mid-2023 when Tabcorp and the Preston Hotel were hit with multiple charges, triggering a wider investigation.
According to the VGCCC, research finds that people who begin gambling at a young age are at greater risk of developing gambling problems as an adult.
VGCCC CEO Annette Kimmitt AM reiterated they will continue to crack down on venues that allow children to enter poker machine areas.
“The onus is on you to ensure that children cannot and do not enter the gambling area or participate in any gambling activity, even if they’re with an adult.
“Equally, staff must be adequately trained and present in the gambling area to supervise while machines are in use.”
Recognising the potential for cultural differences, the VGCCC has produced a ‘no children allowed here’ poster in multiple languages stressing that children cannot be in the gaming room.
In addition to English, the text is printed in Arabic, Assyrian, Chinese (simplified), Chinese traditional, Greek, Khmer and Vietnamese.
Venues are encouraged to download the new multilingual poster, to display at all gaming room entrances.
