Victorian gamblers are to be required to fix a maximum limit on how much they are prepared to lose before gambling on pokies under new laws introduced into Parliament.
Welcoming the reforms, Minister for Gaming, Melissa Horne said the laws aimed to tackle gambling related harm and address money laundering at Crown Melbourne, with the legislation implementing a further 12 recommendations from the Royal Commission.
“In line with the Royal Commission’s recommendation, the new laws will protect Victorians by allowing patrons to set limits on how much they intend to spend and track the time and money they are spending via mandatory pre-commitment on all electronic gaming machines at the casino,” Ms Horne said.
“This means all Australian residents at the casino must fix a maximum limit on how much they are prepared to lose before gambling on pokies – an Australian first,” she said.
“To address major risks associated with money laundering, the use of cash at the casino will be limited to $1,000 per 24 hours.”
In another Australian-first, Ms Horne said patrons would also be required to use casino-issued cards and show ID to gamble and receive winnings of more than $1,000.
She said the mandatory pre-commitment requirements would need to be in place for the casino’s pokies by the end of next year.
“However, to allow for the development of technologies that do not currently exist, the full reforms must be implemented at the casino by no later than December 2025,” the Minister said.
“Government will work with Crown and the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission to set earlier implementation dates on the remaining reforms.”
Ms Symes said the legislation also reintroduced a supervision charge, requiring Crown to pay for the cost of regulating the casino.
