VGCCC Fines ALH for Responsible Gaming Violations
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Australian regulator, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC), has announced it has fined the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) for breaches of gaming legislation within the state.
One of the principles of responsible gaming is that there should be sufficient breaks in play for customers. All Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) in the state are required to shut down for 4 hours once a machine has been continuously on for 20 hours.
Fines Over Trading Hour Violations
ALH operates more than 4,690 gaming machines in 76 venues across the state of Victoria. The VGCCC found that 7 venues in the ALH group did not enforce the appropriate breaks in play and were found to have breached their licensed trading hours.
The incidents occurred between February 15th, and April 21st, this year, as well as on May 25th, 2023, and led to the regulator issuing ALH with fines totaling $480,000.
We expect all venue operators to provide gambling services responsibly and to observe the trading hours for their electronic gaming machines. Ensuring patrons take breaks and are not exposed to extended, continuous periods of play is critical to the responsible service of gambling, The VGCCC will continue to monitor gaming machine operations to ensure our expectations are being met.
VGCCC Uses Fine to Deter Other Operators
The VGCCC indicated during the penalty statement that the fines for ALH were considerable, and the regulator said this was done deliberately to send out a warning to live casinos that they are required to obey all the gambling legislation in the state to help provide a safe environment for all customers in Victoria.
This is not the first time the ALH group has faced a penalty for breaching the gambling laws in Victoria. The VGCCC fined the gaming operator $550,000 in August for operating more than 220 EGM’s without incorporating the required responsible gaming software. YourPlay is a program that allows users of slots to set limits and receive information on their gambling patterns and should be mandatory on all gaming machines in the state.
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