Australia: VCGLR to be replaced by new Casino Control Commission

Authorities have announced the creation of a new Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCC), which will replace the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR).

Australia.- In order to tighten controls over casino operators and gambling venues, authorities have announced the creation of a new regulator for the state of Victoria.

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCC) will replace the VCGLR and eventually control and monitor all gambling and gaming services in the state.

Melissa Horne, the state’s minister for consumer affairs, gaming and liquor regulation, said the VGCC would be stricter than the VCFLR and it wouldn’t tolerate unethical practices.

Nobody has yet been appointed to chair the new gambling commission. The VCGLR will continue monitoring the local casino sector until the VGCC is established.

Deborah Cope, a regulatory and public policy reform expert, has said the new regulatory body will have a dedicated division for employees working on the regulation of casino services and will employ people with expertise in the field.

Crown Melbourne employees didn’t encourage high-gamblers to take time out

Last month, Victoria’s Royal Commission heard that Crown Melbourne employees were not prepared to discourage people from gambling after spending hours inside the venue. An employee told the inquiry that he warned gamblers they could lose their VIP status if they chose to self-exclude.

A poker dealer at Crown Melbourne also said he wasn’t sure what “responsible service of gaming” meant. He said he had never advised a customer to go to a responsible gaming centre and had never had contact with the venue’s responsible gambling advisors.

Another dealer admitted he didn’t know the names of Crown Melbourne’s responsible gambling advisors and had never heard of Crown’s play periods policy to reduce the time customers gamble without taking a break.

Victoria’s Royal Commission into Crown Resorts will continue up to October 15 after the government approved judge Raymond Finkelstein’s request for an extension.

Finkelstein also asked for an increase in the commission’s funding from AU$10m to AU$19.75m to continue investigating Crown Resorts suitability to maintain its licence for its Melbourne casino.