Crown Melbourne ordered to implement spending limits by year end
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission has ordered Crown Melbourne to implement carded play and spending limits for all electronic gaming machines.
Australia.- The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has ordered Crown Melbourne to introduce mandatory carded play by December 2023. This mandate is intended to serve as an anti-money laundering measure and will link all electronic gaming machines (EGM) to a person’s identity through their gaming card.
The casino operator must implement a pre-commitment using the YourPlay system, which ensures players set time and spend limits prior to playing. While YourPlay will continue to operate on a voluntary basis for customers at other venues, at the Melbourne Casino a player will not be able to continue to play beyond their pre-set limits.
The commission commended Crown Resorts for committing to transferring unrestricted gaming machines away from general areas, removing all machines that allow continuous play and restricting credits to AU$1000 per machine.
VGCCC chair Fran Thorn said: “We have again demonstrated our strong commitment to minimising gambling harm and reducing the risk of money laundering by going above and beyond Royal Commission recommendations in our Direction to Crown.
“We were pleased to see Crown step up and identify additional measures beyond those recommended by the Royal Commission to improve the safety and integrity of gaming at the Melbourne casino. We will be carefully monitoring the implementation of these changes.”
The announcement comes a week after Crown Melbourne was fined AU$30m (US$20m) for allowing gamblers to deposit bank cheques made out to themselves, a violation of problem gambling and money laundering controls.
The VGCCC has taken disciplinary action against Crown Resorts three times since the Royal Commission report. In May 2022, the VGCCC fined Crown AU$80m (US$57.4m) for its China Union Pay process, while in November 2022, Crown was fined AU$120m (US$77.2m) for failing to comply with its responsible service of gambling obligations.
