Lara Sporting Club fined $10k by VGCCC for gaming breach
Venues are being warned to abide by the rules in the coming weeks after a club in Geelong’s northern suburbs copped a significant fine for trading outside permitted hours on Good Friday last year.
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A popular hospitality venue in Geelong’s north has been hit with a big fine for operating poker machines outside of permitted hours, as Victoria’s gambling regulator puts operators on notice ahead of upcoming public holidays.
Lara Sporting Club was fined $10,000 by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) for failing to ensure its electronic gaming machines operated within permitted trading hours on Good Friday last year.
Venues can only operate machines in line with their liquor licence.
According to the VGCCC’s findings, gaming activity was detected at the club before noon on Good Friday.
In what is the club’s first contravention of its trading hour requirements, multiple machines saw a total turnover of $2843.95 across almost 90 minutes.
The fine was one of 14 handed down to operators across the state for breaches on Good Friday and Anzac Day last year.
VGCCC chief executive Suzy Neilan said the fines, announced on Wednesday, totalled $195,000.
“With Good Friday almost upon us, I strongly advise venues to ensure they know, understand and comply with the obligations of their licence and only operate their poker machines during permitted hours,” she said.
Ms Neilan said when determining penalties, the VGCCC considered the length of time outside the permitted hours that customers were able to gamble, the revenue generated for the venue, and the venue’s history of compliance.
New laws came into effect last year that require venues to close their poker machine areas between 4am and 10am daily.
Venues approved by RSL Victoria can offer two-up on Anzac Day and during commemorative functions in the week prior.
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Originally published as Lara Sporting Club fined $10k by VGCCC for gaming breach
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