New strict gambling laws on their way through Queensland parliament this week

Gambling giant Star had “actively encouraged” banned people to gamble in Queensland and was “seriously deficient” in preventing money laundering, a damning inquiry has found.

Laws to restrict how much time and money punters can spend on the pokies and stopping the use of cash for bets worth more than $1000 will be introduced to parliament this week.

The major update to the state’s 40-year-old casino control laws includes all the remaining recommendations from the damning inquiry into gambling giant Star.

The inquiry, headed by former Court of Appeal justice Robert Gotterson KC, found Star had been “insufficiently transparent” with the Queensland regulator, “actively encouraged” banned people to gamble in the state and was “seriously deficient” in preventing money laundering.

Former Court of Appeal justice Robert Gotterson KC headed the inquiry into gambling giant Star. Picture: NCA NewWire/Dan Peled

A dozen recommendations have been borne from the report, with the government supporting “in-principle” moves to modernise the state’s nearly 40-year-old casino control laws and bring in a raft of gambling-harm minimisation measures.

These include significant new controls on how much time and money punters can spend on the pokies, and bringing in “cashless” cards linked to a person’s identification if they want to gamble more than $1000.

One of the recommendations – to put in place a “special manager” place should an operator’s licence be stripped or suspended – has already been put in place.

The remaining 11 recommendations will be actioned as part of the proposed laws set to be put forward by Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath this week, likely on Wednesday.

The Gotterson report recommended a gambling card linked to a person’s ID be brought in, with no cash to be used for punts worth more than $1000 in a casino.

Gamblers should be made to preset time and loss limits on poker machines, the Gotterson report recommended. Picture: Chris Pavlich.

The data from carded play should be shared with researchers to enable studies into gambling harm.

Gamblers should also be made to preset time and loss limits on poker machine, and should not be allowed to use them for more than 12 hours in a day or sit at one machine for more than three hours continuously.

Casinos should also be made to pay a “supervision levy”, as in NSW, and the regulator should have the power to “periodically” investigate operators, including on suitability.

Star Entertainment operates two casinos in Queensland, The Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane, which will transfer its licence over to the mega Queen’s Wharf project, set to open next year.

The key points:

1. Gambling cards linked to a person’s identification to be mandatory.

2. No cash on punts worth more than $1000.

3. Mandatory and binding “precommitment system” for punters using the pokies, including daily, weekly or monthly time and loss limits, and limits on continuous single-day play on pokies or a singular machine.

4. Mandatory and binding limit systems for gamblers on casino floors, including maximum play times and prescribed breaks.

5. Data on players, through the gambling card, should be collected including buy-in and buy-out times, how long they played, how much they made and lost and what they played.

The Gotterson report recommended No cash on punts worth more than $1000. Picture: Mark Calleja

6. Data should be made available to researchers to study gambling harm.

7. Terms such as “problem gamblers” should be dropped from law terminology in place of language such as “safer gambling” and “persons who suffer or might suffer gambling and gambling-related harm”.

8. Code of conduct for safer gambling needed and worked into law.

9. Casino licensee to pay a “supervision levy” as in NSW.

10. Regulators to be given powers to conduct “periodic investigations” into licence holders, with costs to be recovered from operators.

11. Put in place penalties for casino operators that fail to stop banned interstate gamblers from punting in their establishments.

12. Allow the government to put in place a “special manager” if a casino licence is suspended or cancelled.