VGCCC Reprimands Crown over Pre-Commitment Failures

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) announced that it has censured casino & hospitality giant Crown Resorts over violations of the state’s gambling laws. According to the authority, the Crown Melbourne property committed multiple violations of Victoria’s gambling harm minimization requirements.

Crown Violated Victoria’s Pre-Commitments Rules

In its announcement, the VGCCC emphasized that Crown Melbourne had “allowed customers to use poker machines in contravention of mandatory pre-commitment requirements.” For context, pre-commitment programs are a local requirement that seeks to ensure players are familiar with the risks and are making informed decisions. The government’s YourPlay pre-commitment program also allows players to set certain limits to make sure they are not overspending.

The pre-commitment requirements apply to all poker machines in Victoria.

The VGCCC understood that between December 2023 and July 21, 2024, Crown Melbourne allowed 22 customers to play pokies despite hitting their nominated time or spend limit. In addition to that, between December 23, 2024, and August 4, 2024, another 10 customers were able to gamble on casino poker machines using a YourPlay account that was not associated with their legal name.

As a result of the violations, the VGCCC has decided to censure Crown Melbourne. While the regulator acknowledged the casino’s cooperation with the investigation, the isolated nature of the violations, and Crown’s immediate remediation efforts, it warned that further violations may prompt more serious regulatory action.

Crown Risks Further Regulatory Action upon Repeat Offenses

VGCCC’s chair, Chris O’Neill, announced the censure, highlighting the serious risk that poker machines expose players to. He explained that it is due to this risk that the VGCCC would not hesitate to take action once regulatory breaches are identified.

Poker machines are a high-risk, high-harm product, which is why we place so much emphasis on holding industry to account when they fail to honour their legal and social licenses to protect customers from gambling harm.

Chris O’Neill, chair, VGCCC

O’Neill added that pre-commitments exist for a reason and that research has demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing problem gambling. Because of that, it is imperative for casino operators to meet their pre-commitment obligations, the chair said.

O’Neill further added that the reprimand is now on Crown’s record and that the VGCCC could implement more severe disciplinary action upon repeat offenses.

The reprimand against Crown comes shortly after the VGCCC penalized QuestBet.