The judge in the landmark case brought in Australia by a former slot machine addict against the casino and the machine manufacturer took her court into the Crown Casino in Melbourne to see the relevant machine in action.
Justice Mortimer wanted to see the Aristocrat Dolphin Treasure game that is the subject of Shonica Guy’s action against Crown and Aristocrat in which she and her legal team allege that slot machines are deceptively designed to give players the impression that they have won when they have not.
The action could have implications throughout the global slot machine industry as the case may be used in other actions in other countries. The Federal Court case opened on Monday, September 11, and was likely to run for three weeks.
Ms Guy alleges that she is not seeking financial compensation from either the casino or the machine maker, but wishes to prevent the same effect that the machine had on her to be replicated with other players. Her legal team is arguing that the reels, symbols and other design features of Dolphin Treasure misrepresent the true chance of winning, notably that the fifth of the five reels is larger than the first four, decreasing the chances of winning.
Strongly repudiating the accusations, both Crown and Aristocrat insist that their machine’s design fully conforms with all of the required technical specifications for the Australian market. On behalf of both, Ross Ferrar of the industry trade organisation, the Gaming Technologies Association, said claims made regarding the machine design "ignored clear facts about the strict legal and compliance obligations of the Australian gaming industry."
He said: “Australia has one of the most stringent regulatory environments for poker machines in the world. Regulators impose comprehensive conditions on every aspect of poker machine design and operation and that strict oversight is maintained through the life of the machine.
“The industry stands by the integrity of its products which comply with strict national standards. Within the national standards are a number of consumer protection measures, including requirements that gaming machines do not give a player a false expectation of odds and that they must accurately display the result of a game outcome and not be misleading, illusory or deceptive.
“Poker machines are designed to be entertaining and are a legitimate recreational activity that many Australians enjoy responsibly and our industry remains committed to progressing harm minimisation initiatives where they are shown to be effective.
“Maintaining the high standard and integrity of gaming machines used in Australian venues is of great importance to the GTA and its members."
