The Victorian state government has announced that it has informed Crown Melbourne that it must update its Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct to include strict time limits on gambling.
According to a statement released on Monday, April 3rd, Crown must ensure that any person who has been gambling for three hours take a break of at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, anyone who has been gambling for 12 hours across a 24-hour period must take a break of at least 24 hours before being allowed to gamble again. Overall, no person will allowed to gamble for more than 36 hours during a single week.
To ensure that the mandatory breaks are enforced, the government has told Crown that its staff will be allowed to exclude people from gaming floors.
The latest direction issued to Crown Melbourne is based on recommendation 11 of the Royal Commission into the casino’s operations. The direction also includes guidance for staff with regards to how they deal with patrons and how to identify those who are showing visible signs of gambling harm.
According to the direction, Crown has six months to update its code of operations and ensure that staff are properly trained in the new procedures. Any breaches of the new code could result in action taken by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, with a maximum penalty of AU$100 million (€62.1 million).
Speaking of the new rules, Victoria’s Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Melissa Horne said:
“This direction reflects my expectations that Crown must aim to be a global leader in the reduction of gambling harm – or lose their license. Crown is on track to implement mandatory pre-commitment in all electronic gaming machines by the end of this year. When combined with the strengthened code of conduct, the harm reduction protections will be world leading for a casino of this size.”
Last year Crown Melbourne was hit with several financial penalties as an inquiry into its business practices revealed multiple licensing breaches such as the China Union Pay Scheme and allowing players to gamble for 24 hours without breaks.
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.