The Government of the state of Victoria is currently facing increasing pressure to adopt the strictest rules in terms of gambling addiction on the poker machines offered at Crown Melbourne. The growing criticism comes at a moment when various experts have warned that problem gamblers could be pushed away from the casino and into some suburban gaming facilities in case the proposed measure is imposed.
As reported earlier this week, the Government of Premier Andrews is reconsidering an extremely important recommendation made by Commissioner Ray Finkelstein after the Royal Commission issued its report on Crown Melbourne. At the time, Mr Finkelstein suggested the introduction of mandatory pre-commitment limits on both time and money spent by Victorian gamblers at the electronic gaming machines (EGMs) situated at Crown Melbourne’s gaming floor. The idea, however, faced opposition from the Department of Justice and Community Safety.
As Casino Guardian already revealed, the Andrews Government has previously said that it supported all 33 recommendations made by Commissioner Finkelstein “in principle”. So far, it has passed a piece of legislation to enact 9 of these recommendations, while the remaining 24 will be subject to another piece of legislation that is expected to be officially passed by the end of 2022, including a major crackdown on problem gambling rates at Crown Melbourne.
Andrews Government’ Favour of Crown Melbourne Called “Outrageous”
However, some experts have called the promises of the Andrews Government nothing more than empty promises, as it has been doing almost nothing to bring the recommendations to life, rather than citing the complexity of the proposed gambling overhaul.
According to Steph Ryan, who is the opposition liquor and gambling spokeswoman, the Labor Government had demonstrated too soft of an approach when it comes to making decisions about the only casino licence holder in the state. Ms Ryan called for the Andrews Government to release the advice of the public sector on the proposed pre-commitment scheme without further delay and in full. She said that the authorities have been making many decisions in favour of the Crown Melbourne casino.
The claims that the Victorian Labor Government has been too soft on the Australian gambling giant has been backed by the leader of the Greens Party, Samantha Ratnam, who described the Labor’s approach as outrageous and shared that the Government would never stand up to the gambling industry that has been known as a major political donor over the last years.
She further noted that the Victorian Labor Government has been delivering pretty much everything Crown Resorts asked for. According to Ms Ratnan, the fact that the authorities decided to give a second chance to the gambling giant even after the damning report of the Royal Commission speaks for itself, proving once again that the Andrews Government would not stand up to “their donor mates”.
On the other hand, there have been some concerns that the new rules could apply to Crown Melbourne only – a move that could push both money laundering activity and gambling addicts to other gambling venues across the state, such as pubs and clubs offering so-called poker machines. These claims have been backed by Ian Dunn, who once chaired the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR). Still, Mr Dunn believes that forcing stricter rules on Crown Melbourne would be extremely valuable and could also potentially result in broader adoption of the scheme.
- Author
Daniel Williams
