A proposal by Victoria’s government to compel players at Crown Melbourne to adhere to maximum loss and time limits before they begin gambling has all but been abandoned.
These suggested measures originated from the Victorian royal commission into Crown, which was run by Ray Finkelstein, QC who recommended stringent new rules to tackle problem gambling. These included the aforementioned mandatory pre-commitment limits on how much and how long players intended to spend on the casino’s over 2500 pokies.
At the time of the commission’s findings, the Victorian government had committed to supporting Finkelstein’s 33 recommendations “in principle”.
Heavy Resistance
It appears, however, that the pre-commitment recommendation was doomed to failure as it met significant opposition from the Department of Justice and Community Safety. The department has pointed out that a similar mandatory system implemented in 2012 in a Canadian province was abandoned after only two years.
The Canadian initiative was roundly criticised for having little to no impact on problem gambling and was rife with loopholes such as the pre-commitment cards that could be used by different players and situations where players obtained numerous cards.
On the Warpath
Commissioner Finkelstein’s scathing report tore into Crown’s management of problem gambling, describing his findings as “perhaps the most damning discovery by the commission”.
“Crown Melbourne had for years held itself out as having a world’s best approach to problem gambling,” the report continued.
The commission’s evaluation of YourPlay, a government-managed voluntary pre-commitment system, was that it had “not been successful”, as it had achieved a minimal uptake rate and there were no mechanisms to stop individuals from playing once they had reached their limits.
Finkelstein recommended that YourPlay should be scrapped in favour of a “full, mandatory, binding, pre-commitment system for Australian residents gambling on electronic gaming machines at the Melbourne casino”.
He advised that players should have the ability to implement weekly or monthly limits on their losses and playing time. Gamblers would additionally be barred from playing pokies for over 12 hours over any 24 hours.
2021 saw the government including nine of Commissioner Finkelstein’s recommendations in approved legislation. These included appointing the former public sector corruption watchdog, Stephen O’Bryan, as a special manager charged with monitoring Crown for two years, after which he will determine whether the venue’s licence should be revoked.
The government has committed to a second set of legislation to be introduced in 2022 to integrate the outstanding 24 recommendations, which would include a large-scale initiative to curb problem gambling at the casino. Further details regarding the implementation of the new system are not available at this time.
Contentious Past
The spokesperson for the Gaming Minister, Melissa Horne, advised that the government acknowledges the “breadth and complexity” of the recommendations that have yet to be implemented. Horne explained that the second allotment of legislation would cover the last of the recommendations.
“We support these recommendations in principle, and further detailed analysis and consultation will be undertaken,” she added.
