Admin, Author at UberPokies.org

More Australian casinos feel the lockdown pinch

July 3, 2021 by Admin

Fresh outbreaks of COVID-19 across Australia have prompted local authorities to institute “circuit breaker lockdowns,” designed to offer contact tracers enough time to locate those exposed to the virus. The lockdowns will of course put a halt to casino gambling across the country.

Current casino closures

Many Australian casinos have been compelled to temporarily close their doors, with different potential reopening dates planned, dependant on the area.

The city of Darwin is locked down until at least July 2^nd; this will affect the Mindil Beach Casino Resort. In Queensland, all casinos have closed to the public with venues like The Star Gold Coast, Treasury Brisbane, and The Ville Resort-Casino currently out of commission.

The most populated city in the nation, Sydney, is currently under lockdown for two weeks, doubling the previously tabled estimate of 7 days. In the west of Australia, Perth has announced a brief four-day lockdown, compelling Crown Perth to shut down its gambling operations for the period with business expected to resume on midnight of July 2^nd.

Bondi blues

This recent surge of lockdowns and closures is mostly owed to a pocket of infections called the “Bondi Cluster.”

Bondi is a famous beach suburb in Sydney with a population of over 10,000 and the “cluster” half of the term refers to two or more cases in individuals that don’t live together, but who have been infected by a virus with an identical genetic sequence who have made contact with each other.

The first Bondi Cluster case reportedly came from a driver who had transported an international flight crew. It spread rapidly and has been recently linked to over 160 cases. Infections have crossed the state borders into Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and the Northern Territory.

The dual-pronged approach of lockdowns and widespread testing means that most clusters are dealt with within a three-week period. By this measure, the Bondi Cluster should be fully contained by the second week of July.

The Delta threat

A new threat that has emerged from the pandemic is the feared Delta variant that is driving the spread of the Bondi virus. Unsettling details have shown that Delta is incredibly more contagious than the original strain of COVID-19.

Professor Catherine Bennett, the chair of epidemiology at Deakin University said,

“This isn’t a sleeper variant. When you look at the pattern of spread, it seems that most people are passing it on to more than one person. Not only are more close contacts more likely to be infected, but they’re also more likely to see cases amongst those casual contacts. And what we do know about Delta is that it seems to give you a high viral load a little bit quicker.”

Grim fortunes for casual workers

With all three properties of The Star Entertainment Group closed, the company has mercifully announced that it will keep paying its employees during the lockdown.

Unfortunately for the many casual workers in Sydney, there is no safety net for when they cannot work. There are approximately 466,500 casual workers in the city, who bring in an average weekly salary of $609. The lockdown is expected to cause a loss of over $100 million in wages.

Early Barangaroo opening hopes crushed by Crown’s mounting woes

June 29, 2021 by Admin

The purportedly imminent opening of Sydney’s Barangaroo casino has become much less of a certainty of late following damning evidence revealed at the Victorian royal commission.

ILGA, the New South Wales gaming watchdog may have also suffered slight reputational damage due to its chairman, Phil Crawford’s relatively recent pronouncements that Crown Resorts would likely soon be able to achieve suitability and open its Barangaroo casino palace.

Crawford’s misguided optimism can be forgiven, however, as at the time, Crown NSW seemed certain to weather the inquest relatively unscathed. The ILGA had expressed confidence that Crown would deal with the array of accusations fielded at it by the regulator’s inquiry headed by Patricia Bergin.

The ILGA’s reform outline was meant to allow Crown to reinvent itself as a transformed casino operator with an all-new board and a senior management team geared at enforcing anti-money laundering measures, free from the influence of the operation’s largest shareholder, James Packer.

As things stand, Crown seems ill-positioned to achieve a renaissance with its current chairman and long-serving director Helen Coonan still in her position. It would seem that her retirement or removal is essential to taking the first step to recovery.

A tough spot

Crown’s recent fortunes have been anything but favourable as news of the operator’s various transgressions are now widespread. The rising awareness of the situation should be of particular interest to Crawford who would have to face the PR fallout of approving Crown’s license while the company is under such scrutiny.

The Victorian royal commission for its part is under the impression that some of the more publicly identified issues are less important than other, more insidious ones. While Crown’s top layer of executives and its board shoulder much of the blame, the organisation’s culture is where critical problems emerge.

The commission is combing through Crown’s operations with meticulous attention, examining its opaque practices, its tendency to prioritise commercial gains over its duty to obey the law, and its outward defiance of the regulator with threats the company has made to plead its case directly with the state government, effectively undermining its authority.

Ray Finkelstein, who heads the Victorian inquest along with his team, seems sceptical of the evidence presented by some former and current staff members as some of them seem to have poor memories about the events in question.

Crowns most recent setback has been the emerging news that it failed to pay as much as $270 million in state taxes, a detail that Coonan was privy to in February. It has been shown that Crown regularly deducted items like free accommodation, meals, alcohol and other perks offered to loyal customers from its gross revenue before calculating tax.

Crown was forced to admit that this information should have been presented to the royal commission at a much earlier time, giving further weight to the perception that the casino promotes an internal culture of concealment.

The casino has also participated in the illegal practice of allowing its customers to use credit cards to purchase gambling chips for some time now, creating more stains that the operator will not easily be able to wipe clean.

There is currently also no existing full audit of the breadth and width of the money laundering activity at Crown’s casinos. Deloitte, which is currently performing an independent audit of the company’s accounts, has yet to release its findings, which will not include Crown’s other internal patron ledgers, known as the DAB accounts.

While the auditor was unable to uncover any recent evidence of ‘structuring’ money laundering, there are many other ways to conceal this illegal activity.

The hottest potato that Crown is currently attempting to palm is likely the company’s lack of adherence to the responsible gambling regulations. An absence of training and a scarcity of resources have also been noted.

Australian self-exclusion register nears completion

June 26, 2021 by Admin

Over the last few years, the Australian government has been working to create the country’s first self-exclusion registry for online and mobile gambling. This initiative has gathered steam over time and a recent acceleration in the plans make it seem likely that the responsible gambling service will be launched in 2022.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) recently announced that Engine Australia has been contracted to develop and manage the self-exclusion registry.

The details

The Australian service will bear many similarities to GamStop, the UK’s version which was introduced in 2018. This comes as no surprise because Engine Australia was also its creator.

A single process will allow potential punters to self-exclude from all licensed online gambling providers. They can determine the length of their exclusion, with options ranging from three months to a lifetime.

Individuals on the list will be excluded from direct provider advertising for as long as they are on the list. This is geared at bolstering the self-exclusion and reducing the potential that problem gamblers may relapse.

Progress

Nerida O’Loughlin spoke on behalf of the ACMA, stating that the involvement of Engine indicates “a major step forward.”

“If you choose to self-exclude, this register will ensure your account is closed, your money returned, and no further advertising or promotion activity will be directed your way. Through our consultation, we will engage with the interactive wagering industry on the design of the system and the rules around the operation of the register. We will also work with consumers and advocacy groups to ensure that the register meets the needs of users, including putting in place robust privacy safeguard,” she said.

A cloaked player

Engine Australia, despite assuming such public roles, is shrouded in mystery, revealing little about the exact nature of its business.

What scant information there is out there does little to dispel its enigmatic image. The business has been running since 2005 and, according to its website, “Engine is a media and marketing services company that exists to futureproof clients’ business.”

The firm is headquartered in New York and operates out of 17 offices across the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America. With a staff complement of over 1,200 specialists, Engine has provided its services to major organisations including Coca-Cola, Domino’s, AstraZeneca, and the National Trust.

The company boasts a crowded trophy case, filled with illustrious awards, including ones from Creative Review, the UK Content Awards, Cannes Lions, and the Campaign Big Awards.

The website states, “Engine is an ecosystem of creative wunderkinds, uber-nerds, business consultants, cultural mavens, and channel specialists working together to help our clients grow.”

Despite its inscrutable existence, the company’s GamStop creation has received almost unanimous praise.

Long time coming

With the history of the country’s problem gambling considered, a self-exclusion register appears to be a long-overdue measure. Australians display worryingly high levels of gambling engagement with 80% of residents confessing to taking part in some form of gambling in a recent poll. This places the nation at number one globally.

The average annual gambling spend for an Aussie punter comes in at a hefty $1300. This median conceals the much higher averages that are found among the 300,000 problem gamblers in the country.

On Engine UK’s website, the company openly displays its achievements, saying, “We helped 100,000 addicts break their gambling addiction.”

Now that this initiative has been set fully in motion, Australians will soon find themselves in a better position to rescue themselves from devastating compulsion and addiction.

Another life is changed with a $6.5m Mega Moolah prize

June 22, 2021 by Admin

Microgaming’s Mega Moolah has dished out its most recent surprise gift in the form of a $6.5 million massive payout.

With this win, the Microgaming progressive network has now paid out 5 seven or eight-figure prizes this year.

The jackpot of $6,597,136.10 was claimed on June 4, only a few weeks after paying out a record jackpot of $19.4 million to an extremely lucky player of Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah, one of the newer titles on Microgaming’s line-up.

John Coleman, the CEO at Microgaming commented on the wonderful news, saying that it brought him much joy to see the network change yet another player’s life, especially considering how soon it came after the record $19.4 million prize. He wrapped up, saying that this is even more of a special event as this marks the hundredth millionaire the progressive network has created since its inception.

The gift of giving

Since it began handing them out Microgaming’s progressive prizes now come to over $1.4 billion in total, with over $103 million of that amount being awarded in 2021 alone. Over the last 12 months, in addition to the earth-shattering $19.4 million win, other phenomenal winnings have been recorded, including a $14.2 million jackpot won by a player in Sweden in August 2020.

UKGC drops the hammer with new gambling restrictions for pokies and the iGaming industry

June 18, 2021 by Admin

While the world at large has been enjoying the waves of exciting online gaming content streaming out of the iGaming industry in 2021, not everyone on the planet will continue to enjoy the same kind of access to the plethora of slots and other games on offer.

Punters in the UK are facing a changing landscape with the UK Gambling Commission having already prohibited credit cards and enforced restrictions on casino VIP schemes in 2020. Now, the UKGC has published new laws targeted at real money pokies and the iGaming industry as a whole

The Regulations

The UKGC published a series of new regulations, some of which mandate the removal of pokie features like Autospin and others that affect banking options.

The commission’s recent work has resulted in credit cards being disallowed as a method of transaction and the elimination of features that have been deemed to be misleading. Online operators have been given until 31 October to implement all the new rules.

Speed bumps

Pokies will no longer be permitted to spin faster than 2.5 seconds, as in some games, the first four reels will spin at regular speed, but if a win is more likely to occur, the fifth reel spins faster and for longer. This feature is designed to increase feelings of anticipation and expectation.

UKGC casinos will no longer carry titles that employ this feature, and speeding up play in any way, as well as creating the illusion that the punter can control the outcome, are also prohibited. This is a significant measure that affects a large percentage of pokies that offer the option to speed up the spin animation to provide an immediate spin result. From now on, all pokies will spin at a normal pace, regardless of the potential outcome of your spin, wiping out the majority of high-variance titles.

Rejected pokie and casino features

The Autospin feature is one that UK punters will likely miss most. The new regulations from the UKGC remove the option for players to set their pokies to ‘auto’, forcing them to rather press the spin button each time.

It has been pointed out that the Autospin feature does not impact the win-loss setting at all, so its removal has been characterised by some as peculiar.

Operators have also been instructed to cancel reverse withdrawals from now on. Players could previously request a withdrawal and then cancel the transaction to rather continue betting with the funds. Pokies are now also prohibited from featuring sounds and images that give the illusion of a large win, like ‘Mega Win’ or ‘Big Win’, if the actual win matches or is less than the bet amount.

Miscellaneous restrictions

Some regulations are not specifically related to pokie gameplay. For example, operators now have to display the total losses or wins and the time played during all online sessions. This regulation is aimed at operators, rather than the pokies themselves, but is a significant change, nevertheless.

Other laws take aim at practices within the iGaming industry, including VIP memberships and the methods employed to identify potential problem gamblers.

While these regulation updates only directly affect UKGC licensed operators, the regulator is a leader in international gambling regulations, so the chance that other jurisdictions may adopt similar measures is not beyond the realm of possibility.

How iGaming is affected

These new UK regulations are designed to make online gambling safer with a focus on increased player protection and addressing compulsive gambling.

The immediate effects of these will exclusively impact UK operators, but game providers may find themselves having to provide two versions of their titles as one will have to meet the UKGC requirements.

This presents a significant challenge for providers who will have to provide alternate versions of large chunks of their portfolios. Some will likely sidestep the UKGC requirements and shift their focus to offering content for offshore operators.

Over the years, The UKGC has introduced numerous regulations to protect players from the adverse effects of gambling. These include self-exclusion schemes like GamStop and strict KYC requirements.

While the agency should be applauded for its player-centric approach, the new rules may result in a situation where UK operators have severely limited offerings for players. If more regions adopt similar rules, the situation may resolve itself, but this would probably take a couple of years.

There are no existing laws that stop UK punters from gambling offshore, so the likely result is that increasing numbers of UK-based punters will sign up on websites that are licensed outside of the country.

The future

Global trends in gambling laws consistently shift and change with more regions creating regulated betting industries, while others pile on restrictions.

The UKGC’s new regulations will hopefully increase awareness and transparency around gambling practices and pitfalls and the global iGaming industry will have to adapt on its toes if it hopes to survive with its profitability intact.

Australia takes a losing lap with rising gambling losses

June 15, 2021 by Admin

With the closure of Australian pubs and casinos precipitated by the menace of the COVID-19 pandemic, one may have assumed that Australia’s gamblers would end up losing a little less. However, this is not the case and the nation’s gambling losses have risen, with the re-opening of gambling venues expected to cause record levels.

This is not a new problem for the country that has a long-standing gambling problem among its citizens.

Downhill down under

Australia’s currently worsening gambling losses are part of an extended trend. A study conducted in 2017 revealed that Australia’s gambling losses per capita are the highest across the globe at $958. Hong Kong comes in at a somewhat distant second with $768, third and fourth are Finland and New Zealand with figures of $515 and $454, respectively.

Japan’s figure is $447, Ireland comes in at $433, Norway is only slightly lower at $430, and The US round up the top 8 with $421.

Canada, Panama, the UK, Malta and Iceland all have figures ranging from $382 to $339 per capita.

Studies have shown that low-income individuals spend an average of 10% of their disposable money on gambling, with their high-income counterparts coming in at a mere average of 1%.

The elephant in the room

Far from curbing gambling spending, the country’s mandatory lockdowns drove Australians to online alternatives to their preferred gambling venues. One in three gamblers surveyed admitted to opening a new account with many of them already falling into the at-risk category. Further information gathered from reports shows that the number of gamblers who indulged four or more times per week shot up to 32% from 23%.

While the lockdowns were fully in place, many Aussies found themselves with more cash than normal and while some made the wise decision to use the surplus to pay for essentials, a significant number decided to hoard their savings until gambling venues were re-opened. The resumption brick-and-mortar gambling has seen the nation’s gamblers spending at an alarmingly unseen rate, with examples like Melbourne’s suburb of Brimbank setting a single-day pokie losses record ofAU$482,168 causing concern.

Questionable ties

Many of the voices of concern raised regarding gambling losses come from the mouths of politicians. These utterances seem disingenuous to some when the fact that the National government gains taxes from the legitimate gambling industry, and where the money eventually winds up is largely unknown.

In 2019, it was reported that the government claimed over $500,000,000 in taxes from gambling. If Australia’s punters were more conservative with their gambling spend, this number would decline, leaving revenue void in its wake and negatively affecting the economy.

Punishing pokies

An overview of gambling in Australia shows that the country spends more on lottery tickets than anything else. The biggest losses, however, are created by the ubiquitous pokie.

The Australian Gaming Council shows that pokies and other types of gaming machines contributed $12.5 billion in losses over an average year. More than 200,000 pokies are currently in operations across the country, making up a whopping 20% of the global tally. The machines are also firmly ingrained into the national landscape with more pubs and clubs than not featuring a shiny cash-bandit.

The popularity of the devices did not escape the Australian Football League. In Victoria, 90% of all league teams own and operate pokies, providing the teams with additional revenue, should attendance figures fall.

New South Wales residents are particularly enthusiastic about gaming machines with half of the nation’s pokies located in this state. These machines generated $6.5 billion profit in 2019, a figure comparable to the GDP of Montenegro or Somalia.

Looking for answers

Some anti-gambling advocates and politicians have tabled numerous potential solutions to the rampant spread of problem gambling. These include reducing casino operating hours, barring credit card use for online gambling, restricting the number of cheque cashing services near gambling venues, placing a cap on the number of poker machines, introducing a limit on betting, and swapping out traditional pokies for cashless devices.

Whether any of these measures will ease the problem is uncertain. But with the cost of problem gambling estimated at nearly A$5 billion per year, urgent action needs to be taken to address the issue which is the cause of undesirable consequences like theft, family violence, depression, and bankruptcy.

News Corp Australia poised to launch betting brand

June 11, 2021 by Admin

Recent media reports have revealed that News Corp Australia is close to the final steps of launching a sports betting brand. This could signal big news for the Australian gambling sector, amidst a bidding war that is arising over ownership of Tabcorp’s flagging wagering division.

News Corp Australia

News Corp Australia is one of the country’s biggest media conglomerates with a staff complement of around 8000 individuals. Their interests include newspapers and film distribution.

The company was first opened in 1923 by James Edward Davidson. A minority interest in the company was later purchased by Sir Keith Murdoch in 1949, leading to his eventual control over the company. When Sir Keith passed away in 1952, his son, Rupert transformed the business into a media conglomerate with News Corp as the foundation.

News Corp Australia currently owns 142 newspapers and 30 magazines. The firm holds a majority share of Foxtel and owns the Australian News Channel along with its investment in the Brisbane Broncos. Recently the company has accelerated its website creation and acquisition and now counts KidSpot, Business Spectator, The Punch, and the online version of The Australian as some of its properties.

FOX Bet in focus

At the moment, News Corp is negotiating with American-based Fox Corp for its FOX Bet brand, an online sports betting platform that can operate legally in the U.S. states of Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.

As both companies are controlled by the Murdoch family, there should be no obstacles to a fruitful resolution and once the deal is finalised, News Corp would gain the licensing rights to the FOX Bet name. The deal is likely to be a non-cash one, with ad credits from The Daily Telegraph, The Herald Sun, The Australian, and Foxtel serving as legal tender.

In the absence of any official confirmation of the deal’s finalisation, some insider sources have said negotiations are at an “advanced stage.”

The maverick

Matthew Tripp, the former head of Sportsbet and the founder of BetEasy invested $25 million in sports betting technology company BetMakers in February, simultaneously signing on as an advisor. He has stated that he intends to ease both of their expansions into the U.S. and Australian markets.

BetMakers recently offered a bid of AU$4 billion to acquire the assets of Aussie bookmaker Tabcorp and Tripp is a member of a consortium currently in negotiations with News Corp.

If things go according to his plan, Tripp could find himself running both Tabcorp and FOX Bet in tandem. BetMakers would then be perfectly situated to supply the back-end systems needed by News Corp.

What’s on the horizon?

Tabcorp’s dismal fate offered News Corp an opportunity to grow its empire and this latest development is sure to send ripples across the Australian sports betting sphere.

Tripp’s extensive experience virtually assures that FOX Bet would grow significantly with him at the helm, and with the News Corp media empire, he will have all the advertising resources he needs at his fingertips.

News Corp can boast a so far illustrious history in the Australian betting market. The company operates the Racenet and Punters websites, as well as Foxtel that streams live sports odds. All of this demonstrates what a dominant force News Corp has risen to become in the Aussie market, presenting a significant mountain to climb for any competitors who seek to dethrone them.

Sun’s out, slots out with Microgaming’s refreshing June releases

June 5, 2021 by Admin

The month of June heralds the arrival of warmer temperatures and a renewed spirit of adventure. Microgaming has its finger on the summer pulse with this month’s release roster that is packed full of engaging titles from the iGaming giant’s talented line-up of independent developers and content partner studios.

Something to look forward to at the end of the month is the over-the-top ice-age themed Blazing Mammoth by PearFiction Studios. Get your fill of prehistoric action on 30 June with this title that features Microgaming’s EpicStrike mechanic that offers potential of up to 2000x our bet if you land enough Mammoth symbols on the reels during the base game. A minimum of 3 Mammoths is needed to claim the lowest prize and the more you land, the more you will win. Gain between 10 and 30 free spins from the Free Spins Wheel and get a boost with a 2X or 3X multiplier.

The alluring undead are back with a progressive jackpot kicker in Microgaming’s Immortal Romance Mega Moolah. This enhanced version of the classic Immortal Romance offers all the eerie ambience and thrilling features you loved in the original with the life-changing potential of Microgaming’s Mega Moolah progressive jackpot that regularly dishes out 7 and 8-figure prizes. The Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega jackpots are held by the randomly activated jackpot wheel that spins and guarantees you one of the prizes. With the Mega jackpot seeding at $1 million, a spectacular win is always around the corner.

Meet an explosion of colour and winning potential in Hyper Gold by Gameburger Studios on 22 June. The spectacular bonus features include Jumbo Blocks, a Win Booster, and Microgaming’s Link&Win mechanic. During free spins, giant 3×3 blocks land on the reels and you can boost your chances of triggering Link&Win with the Win Booster feature.

All41 Studios’ Temple of Medusa, inspired by the petrifying creature from Greek mythology, releases on 15 June. Claim the slot’s maximum prize of 5000x your bet with the wild-focused features. When the wild symbol that bears Medusa’s face lands on reels 2, 3, or 4, wild symbols will randomly spread to adjacent reels. If the spreading wilds come into contact with a scatter, it will transform into a scatter wild, allowing it to substitute for any other symbols while triggering a bonus feature. You will need to land 3 scatter symbols on the reels to unlock a choice of four free spins options that offer varying combinations of free spins and expanding wilds that spread out in any direction.

Prove your godly might on 8 June in Odin’s Riches by Just For The Win. The game delivers Cluster pays and Rolling Reels that get the wins tumbling in and an array of mini-features that activate as you win. Every time you get a cluster win, a wild will appear on the reels and each consecutive win will also fill up segments of a meter with each segment activating a mini-feature once it is filled. Top up the whole meter and seven Bonus Rounds with a mini-feature activating on every spin are yours. Get your winning chances boosted in the base game by Odin’s Wilds when between four and nine wilds are randomly added to the reels.

On 3 June, discover the ancient wonders of South America in Maya U Max by Gong Gaming Technologies. This Mayan-themed features a U MAX symbol that makes the reel expand, offering up to 248,832 ways to win during free spins. Claim your throne as the king of bling on 1 June with the classic slot themed title Divine Diamonds by Northern Lights Gaming. In this diamond-encrusted

The future is now with NSW cashless pokie trial

June 2, 2021 by Admin

A recent announcement revealed that a cashless pokie trial will be running in New South Wales over September. Aristocrat Gaming will head the initiative that is planned to take place at West Leagues Club in Newcastle. The cashless option will be available for club services, including pokies and snacks.

Based on the results of the trial, cashless options may end up becoming the rule, rather than the exception across NSW. The experiment will be closely observed by other states also looking to adopt cashless systems.

The cashless consideration

The concept of cashless pokies has been floating around the industry for some time now and a recent resurgence in interest has given the technology the push it needs. Much of the interest seems to have been generated by the Crown Resorts scandal where money laundering featured heavily. Operators are also considering the innovation as a tool to further customer of wellness and prevent tragedies like player suicides and bankruptcy.

The trial

To participate in the trial, you will need to pass a 100-point ID check and connect your digital wallet to an Australian bank account.

You will be able to set limits on the time and money you allow yourself to spend gambling and self-exclusion options are available for customers who have identified themselves as problem gamblers. At the casino, marshals will respond to real-time requests if you experience any problems.

Good omens

The overwhelming reaction to the announcement of the trial has been positive, So far, the reaction has been positive with many industry stakeholders expressing their support.

The Aristocrat CEO, Mitchell Bowen, stated, “Aristocrat believes that enabling cashless payment solutions is an innovation that may help enhance the long-term sustainability and vibrancy of our industry.”

The NSW Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello, said, “It will help us combat the twin sins of money laundering and problem gambling, addressing the key concerns of the Bergin Inquiry.”

The Wests Group Australia CEO, Philip Gardner, also weighed in, saying, “A powerful new suite of responsible digital tools will empower our members and allow them to set limits, speak to a staff member, or even exclude themselves from the club. The ability for our members to use their own mobile wallet to pay for a meal, membership and gaming is something our industry hasn’t seen before.”

The preventative power of friction

These recent developments have also piqued the interest of the academic community. Dr Sally Gainsbury, an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney feels that the trial is essential to provide additional data for a poorly-researched topic. She stated that the technology may fall short of its ambitions, particularly if it fails to provide enough “friction.”

“Obviously, if you make it so you can stand at a machine, tap your credit card or bank account straight to it and just keep piling money onto it, and just keep putting that straight into the machine, there is a very high risk [of harm]. Because we know from consumer research that digital payments do increase expenditure and reduce awareness of how much they’re spending. So the system has to be designed where it has at least as much friction as actual cash, and ideally more so,” she elaborated.

The type of friction in question includes time and geolocation limits. These enforce a waiting period on players or force them to leave the casino completely for a certain time before they’re able to gamble again. Dr Gainsbury also suggested that punters should receive monthly progress reports.

The ACT’s intent

The ACT government will be keenly observing the progress and results of the trial. In the interim, a new ministerial advisory council made up of club reps and gambling reform advocates has been created to examine whether cashless gaming would be appropriate for the Bush Capital.

Numerous gambling reforms are planned for the territory such as $100 load-up limits, $5 bet limits, and fewer pokies being made available.

Shady dealings at Crown Resorts far more insidious than originally speculated

May 26, 2021 by Admin

Meticulous investigations into illegal activities at Crown Resorts have revealed that the extent to which criminal elements had infiltrated the organisation may have been much more severe than initial assumptions. Evidence that points to dirty money showing up in the operator’s bank accounts, as recently as February, has set off a fresh wave of questions.

Victoria’s royal commission into casino giant’s operations was recently informed that money laundering had been detected in 14 new bank accounts that did not form part of the 2020 Bergin inquiry.

The decision as to whether or not Crown is deemed fit to hold its Melbourne casino license is in the hands of Commissioner Ray Finkelstein, QC. However, as the inquiry was informed, he is not aware of the full extent of the money laundering operations as Crown had postponed an investigation into its bank accounts until recently.

“Had Crown started that review any earlier than February this year, the results would be known to this commission,” counsel assisting Meg O’Sullivan said.

Crown had delayed the launch of a full review of its accounts, seemingly despite its bank’s warnings that suspicious transactions had been identified in 2014. The company held this position in the face of mounting media reports in 2019 about money laundering in its accounts, and in defiance of the external expert advice given to it in 2019 and in 2020, to launch a full review.

2020’s Bergin inquiry in NSW determined that Crown was unfit to run its new Sydney casino. One of the main reasons for this judgement was that the company had been proven to have facilitated money laundering via two patron deposit bank accounts held by shell companies, identified as Southbank Investments and Riverbank Investments.

Ms O’Sullivan pointed out that the review being conducted by Deloitte into Crown’s other accounts would prove whether money laundering in those accounts is “just the tip of the iceberg”.

“Deloitte’s preliminary analysis suggests that of those 45 bank accounts, there are 14 Crown bank accounts with evidence of money laundering. It appears that Crown does not yet know the full extent of that problem, save that it’s likely greater than previously thought,” she said.

The inquiry recently heard that Crown had approached Katherine Shamai, an anti-money laundering expert at Grant Thornton, to launch a review of its bank accounts in August 2019. However, Shamai did not hear from Crown again until over a year later in October 2020, when she was asked to review only the Southbank and Riverbank accounts. As a result, she managed to uncover over $5 million in suspected criminal transactions between 2013 and 2019.

Ms Shamai informed the inquiry that Crown’s lawyers, MinterEllison, tasked her with reviewing other accounts linked to Crown’s Melbourne and Perth casinos in January 2021. This came a full two months after Crown had informed the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation that the company had already initiated such a review.

According to Ms Shamai, in February Crown’s new lawyers, Allens, issued her with an order to cease the near-complete investigation as the company had opted to employ another party to complete the work.

The expert testified that Crown’s instructions to her were to limit her investigation of its accounts to a set number of “typologies” that may indicate illegal behaviour. As such, she was limited and could not conduct a “full search”. Shamai stated that she was unable to speculate as to why Crown would scuttle her investigation if its stated intention of exposing examples of suspicious transactions was sincere.

According to Crown, it is undergoing a “reform” process to improve its money laundering countermeasures and corporate governance to reclaim its Sydney casino licence.

Ms O’Sullivan’s statements, however, poured cold water all over Crown’s intent when she revealed to the commission that external experts had evaluated Crown’s new anti-money laundering controls and found some of them to be inadequate, a discovery that she said raised “serious concerns about Crown’s ability to implement consistent, effective and sustainable reforms to address its past money laundering failures”.

“It’s open to concluded that Crown’s first steps on its pathway are simply a knee-jerk reaction to the revelations of the Bergin inquiry, even the supposed new and improved Crown had continuing anti-money laundering problems,” she said.

The inquiry is set to resume soon and is expected to present a final report by August 1.