A prominent Australian hospitality conglomerate, Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH), received a substantial penalty of $550,000 AUD. Their transgression? A failure to adequately deploy a compulsory pre-commitment system, YourPlay, across a significant 62 out of their 77 locations.
This action unfolded under the scrutiny of the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC), which brought ALH to court in November 2022. The VGCCC contended that ALH fell short by not guaranteeing YourPlay’s installation as mandated by regulations.
For the uninitiated, YourPlay is a mechanism intended to assist gamblers in Victoria in establishing boundaries on their expenditures and duration, encouraging responsible gaming practices.
ALH acknowledged their error, which prompted the magistrate to exercise leniency in the penalty. They were potentially liable for a fine of up to $1.35 million AUD but avoided that maximum. Nevertheless, in addition to the $550,000 AUD penalty, they are obligated to remit an additional $50,000 AUD to cover the VGCCC’s legal expenditures.
The takeaway is evident: gaming entities must take their responsibilities seriously, or they will face the consequences.
The Gaming Regulatory Body of the Victorian Era conducted an inquiry based on an undisclosed source’s information and discovered that certain gaming devices had been tampered with.
