The Victorian parliament has moved to pass restrictions on Crown Melbourne that include forcing customers to set limits on their spending, losses, and the time spent gambling.
$1,000 spending limit for every 24 hour period
The changes have been made to the Casino Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Implementation and Other Matters) Bill 2022 and must now be introduced at the casino no later than December 2025. The extended timeline is to allow the company to develop software and technology that does not yet exist.
According to the new restrictions, there will be an AU$1,000 (€672) limit on spending for every 24-hour period. This restriction must be implemented by the end of 2023 and is a direct response to instances of money laundering discovered at the casino in the past.
If Crown fails to implement the new rules in time or allows any breaches of the restrictions, the company will lose its license to operate in the state.
While a recent royal commission inquiry found that Crown was unsuitable to hold a casino license, the government instead opted to give the company the opportunity to reform. This was due to the fact that an immediate shutdown would have seen many locals out of work and had a detrimental effect on the Victorian economy. The inquiry found that the casino had knowingly breached licensing conditions by allowing Chinese high-roller gamblers to disguise gambling spending as hotel expenses.
As a result of the commission’s report, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission fined Crown Resorts a record AUD 80 million (€53.4 million).
Speaking of the new restrictions, Melissa Horne, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, said:
“We are holding Crown Melbourne to account and delivering on an additional 12 recommendations – targeting money laundering and harm minimization – to implement every one of the Royal Commission’s recommendations. This legislation implements world-leading reforms to make sure the failures uncovered by the Royal Commission can never happen again.”
Further proposals suggested by the royal commission are expected to be announced towards the end of 2022.
Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.