In late January, approximately 70% of 1,800 Tabcorp Electronic Betting Terminals (EBTs) in Victoria will be converted to only accept vouchers. This ruling applies to all EBTs, except for those within five meters of the counter and in the line of sight. To use the cashless machines, players will need to purchase a voucher at the counter, where they will also undergo ID checks to ensure they are of legal gambling age. Tabcorp has been ordered to implement an independent “mystery shopper” program to ensure that venues are properly checking IDs. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in penalties, such as having all EBTs at offending venues switched to vouchers for six months and terminating agreements with venues.
The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation CEO, Annette Kimmitt, has criticized the breaches of underage gambling and stressed the need for stronger actions to protect the community, especially children, from gambling harm. The commission has taken decisive measures against venues that have not taken their responsibilities seriously. These stricter ID checks not only prevent minors from gambling but also help in preventing money laundering. The VGCCC will actively monitor these safeguards to reduce harm, and venues should prioritize their duty of care for the community.
In addition to the cashless EBT order, the VGCCC has charged Tabcorp and nine venues with underage gambling offenses over the past eight months. These charges include allowing a minor to be present in a gaming machine area, allowing them to gamble, and failing to reasonably supervise EBTs. The first case was heard in court in December, where a fine was imposed on the Preston Hotel. Tabcorp and the other eight venues face charges related to allegedly allowing minors to gamble. The alleged breaches of the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 occurred between September 2022 and October 2023. The next court hearing for these charges is scheduled for January 24th.
Victoria is cracking down on rule-breakers in the gambling industry. One of the operators, Rumotel, may face a fine of up to AU$1.4 million for allegedly breaching responsible gambling rules at the Tower Hotel. The VGCCC claims that Rumotel failed to ensure the presence of a responsible gambling officer on the gaming floor at all times and did not maintain a proper responsible gambling register. As a result, the VGCCC has filed additional charges against the Tower Hotel operator. Previous charges were already filed against Rumotel in September for allegedly breaching gambling control rules.
