In Perth, Australia, a woman signed a self-exclusion form at Crown Casino, Burswood on January 2, 2017. “As I could not control my addiction to poker machines I sought help from Crown and entered into the self-exclusion program,” she said. “I was informed that I would not be allowed to enter the gaming venue, so I signed a contract and had my photo taken so that they would be able to detect if I tried to enter the casino. I would be recognized and not allowed to come inside.”
The form stated it was the woman’s “responsibility to refrain from entering the casino and that it did not place any obligation, duty or responsibility on Crown Perth or any other person” except the woman who signed it. It further noted the woman agreed “not to enter or attempt to enter the casino until my self-exclusion is revoked, and I understand that I may be lawfully removed from the casino if I am found on the premises.”
But the woman said she continued to go to the casino for the next 11 months. “I would smile and say hello to the staff at the doors as I would walk in. I would only ever intend to gamble $100, but I would be seen going back and forth past security to the ATMs until I had exhausted the $400 limit on my accounts. I was not once stopped by the security at the door,” she said.
Finally, in December, she confessed to her partner that she had gambled away more than $50,000 from their personal and business accounts. He said, “I didn’t have any idea of how bad it was. I thought she was going to work, when she was just going gambling. “When that happened, she confessed to me. It all came flooding out, and all the stuff seemed to make sense.”
The woman and her partner went to Crown Casino to discuss the issue. The man said, “I went to the cashier straight away. I was in a good frame of mind when I went in there, and I wasn’t angry. I really thought I had a good argument. ‘Look, she’s come to you for help. You’ve got this policy in place for people like her.’ I knew that I probably wouldn’t get anything, but I was going to make them explain to me why they shouldn’t give me my money back.”
Senior Crown staff explained the self-exclusion agreement to the man, noting the contract indemnified the casino of any liability if the woman broke the agreement. He said he felt that casino staff understood the situation. However, during the conversation, the woman left, went home to get more money and returned to the casino. The man said he was not allowed in. In addition, he said he was shocked to learn the woman had been found in breach of the contract earlier in the year.
Now the man is working to educate other gamblers and their families about self-exclusion contracts. “The whole thing is just a waste of time. I reckon, right now, I could just walk in with her again. She tried to do the right thing. They deserve to be locked up. They’re destroying people’s lives. She couldn’t stop, and she’s done the one thing she could do to try and stop.”
The woman said, “The system for detecting self-excluded gamblers does not work. I thought after being discovered as a self-excluded problem gambler and admitting I had been coming in most days undetected, it would now make it harder or even not possible for me to enter the casino in the future. I was wrong.”
In response, a Crown Casino spokeswoman said, “Crown does not comment on whether any particular individual visits Crown, nor does it disclose any detail of their visit. Crown has a very strong commitment to responsible gambling and assisting persons in their decisions in relation to their gambling, and we treat any responsible gambling issue raised very seriously.”
According to Gambling Help Online, “All Australian gambling providers are required to provide customers with the option to self-exclude from their venue or products.” But the Western Australia Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor said individual casinos are responsible for regulating self-exclusion. A spokesperson said, “While Section 26 of the Casino Control Act 1984 deals with banning people from casinos, this does not extend to self-exclusion. Problem gambling is an issue the department takes very seriously through working with the gambling industry and health services sectors to support initiatives that educate and raise awareness of responsible gambling.”
The department recently launched a major advertising campaign, through the Problem Gambling Support Services Committee, urging problem gamblers free and confidential counseling services.
