On July 16, the Victorian government unveiled a flurry of new regulations for electronic gaming machines (EGMs) in the state, namely a reduced cash-in limit of just US$68 per machine.
In a release, the government hailed the new framework as being the “strongest in Australia,” and that claim is somewhat indisputable, given that the next-highest limit is US$342 in New South Wales (NSW).
In addition to the slashed load-up limits, all Victorian machines will now require carded play, mandatory pre-commitment caps and spin rates of at least three seconds per spin.
The government also vowed to enforce mandatory machine shutdowns from the hours of 4 a.m. to 10 a.m., following the publication of research that showed that late-night play was one of the biggest contributors to problem gambling behavior.
The new curfew will be enforced by mid-2024, but authorities did note that the Crown Melbourne casino will be exempt from such closures.
“These reforms will provide the strongest gambling harm preventions and anti-money laundering measures in Australia – we owe it to all Victorians to take this stance and help those experiencing harm turn their lives around,” Premier Daniel Andrews said in a statement.
The state regulator, the Victorian Gaming and Casino Control Committee (VGCCC), was also allotted US$48.5 in funding from the latest state budget, which will allow the agency to overtake the duties of the former Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation by July of next year.
Just days later, on July 19, the VGCCC announced that it had already sent show cause notices to two operators for EGM-related violations across a total of eight venues.
The violations ranged from a lack of enforcement of mandatory play breaks to keeping gaming areas open past the previously allotted hours, and they were discovered by data monitoring, which identified both uninterrupted periods of play and off-hours play.
The operators in question will now have 28 days to respond to the notices with justification as to why penalties should not be levied; potential punishments can range from a fine all the way to license suspension or revocation.
“Venue operators should know by now that we will not tolerate failure to provide gambling services responsibly,” VGCCC CEO Annette Kimmitt said in a statement.
“Venue operators are on notice to ensure they observe the trading hours for their electronic gaming machines as noted on their licenses.These notices are a warning to venue operators all over Victoria that we are monitoring data from their electronic gaming machines and will uncover breaches.”
