Crown denies using rigged poker machines

Crown Casino has rejected accusations against its allegedly fixed poker machines and highlighted they were authorised and approved by state regulators.

Australia.- Crown Casino is going through a civil case in the Federal Court regarding the poker machines on the floor of its Melbourne casino, which were allegedly manipulated. However, during day two of the case (which began on Tuesday), company’s lawyers argued that all machines were authorised and approved by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.

Shonica Guy, a former gambling addict, is pushing the lawsuit and her lawyers are trying to prove some poker machines are misleading and deceiving players. Their claims are not only against Crown, but also against Aristocrat, manufacturer of the Dolphin Treasure machine, on which lawyers are focusing the case.

According to Guy’s lawyers, said machine has a number of design elements that misrepresent the chances of winning, using light, sound and image displays to fool gamblers into thinking they have won when they have in fact lost money.

Neil Young QC told Justice Debbie Mortimer that Crown is doing “nothing more than make authorised machines available” and added that “the only thing Crown can control [about the machine’s software] is to adjust the volume.”

Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello assured that the machine “is designed for addiction” and said: “This case will show that, we believe, it’s misleading, it’s deceptive, it’s rigged.”