The Victorian government has passed new gaming legislation that will include mandatory identity verification, time limits and daily cash limits of AU$1,000 (US$664), in efforts to curb further regulatory violations from prominent casinos such as Crown Melbourne.
Known as the Casino Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Implementation and Other Matters) Bill 2022, the new policy features a total of 12 recommendations that were taken from last year’s Royal Commission into the operations of Crown Melbourne. Harm minimization and anti-money laundering efforts are among the chief initiatives for the state’s regulators moving forward.
In addition to the new rules outlining ID checks and cash restraints, patrons must also set “pre-commitment” loss limits on video gaming machines before being allowed to begin playing. Additionally, any person or organization that wishes to own more than 5 percent of a casino company or its affiliates must first obtain approval from the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.
Victorian officials said previously that Crown has until the end of 2023 to implement the new pre-commitment systems on all of its machines, but the company has until the end of 2025 to execute all of the proposed changes, to allow for the advancement of technologies that aren’t quite ready yet.
Melissa Horne, the state’s minister for consumer affairs, gaming and liquor regulation, told Inside Asian Gaming that the government is “holding Crown Melbourne to account and delivering on an additional 12 recommendations – targeting money laundering and harm minimization – to implement every one of the Royal Commission’s recommendations.”
“This legislation implements world-leading reforms to make sure the failures uncovered by the Royal Commission can never happen again,” she added.
Crown’s Victorian casino license was only reinstated on a conditional basis
following the company’s sale to U.S.-based firm Blackstone Group earlier this year.
Now, Horne says Crown Melbourne is on its last strike, and if the company doesn’t exhibit marked improvements in compliance, its license will be fully revoked in 2024.
