Crown Melbourne has been fined AU$2m by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) for accepting bets from more than 200 people who had self-excluded.
The bets were placed over an eight-month period between October 2023 and May 2024 by 242 people.
“It is an offence under the Casino Control Act 1991 (Vic) to allow an excluded person, including anyone who has self-excluded, to enter, remain or gamble in the casino,” VGCCC Chair Fran Thorn said. “It also contravenes Crown Melbourne’s obligation to protect people at risk of gambling harm.
“Those who self-exclude must be able to trust that gambling providers will take all reasonable steps to enforce their decision to avail themselves of this harm prevention initiative.
“By allowing people who have self-excluded to enter the casino and gamble, Crown has put them at risk of experiencing further gambling harm. However, it is also clear that a number of these self-excluded patrons are going to considerable lengths to avoid detection and break their exclusion requirements.”
The self-exclusion breaches were detected through VGCCC’s ongoing monitoring of the casino’s operations. The Commission determined the breaches were due to system and control failures rather than deliberate or egregious disregard by Crown of its regulatory obligations.
