Crown Melbourne backs Victoria’s pokies crackdown

Crown Melbourne has backed the Victorian government’s moves to introduce the nation’s strictest gaming machine rules, including slashing load-up limits.

Crown Melbourne has backed moves to introduce mandatory carded play on gaming machines across Victoria. Picture: David Crosling

Casino operator Crown Melbourne has backed the Victorian government’s moves to introduce the nation’s strictest poker machine rules, including slashing the maximum amount gamblers can load up on mandatory player cards, and slowing gaming machines down by 40 per cent.

Victoria’s state government introduced the long-awaited legislation on Tuesday, after former premier Daniel Andrews flagged sweeping reforms to the gambling laws before his resignation last year. Under the changes, gamblers would be required to insert a player card to operate a gaming machine, allowing them to set a so-called precommitment – a limit on how much they are willing to lose.

A pilot program will begin in mid-2025, before mandatory carded play is phased in across the state. The maximum amount players can load on to a machine will also be slashed from $1000 to $100 from December next year.

From December 2025, new gaming machines approved by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) must have a spin rate of at least three seconds per game, compared with the current spin rate of 2.14 seconds – in a bid to slow down the rate of potential losses.

The proposed changes follow years of warnings about the harm caused by poker machines, and are also designed to reduce the risk of money laundering in the wake of revelations of widespread criminal activity at casinos across the country.

After a royal commission into the casino operator, Crown Melbourne was in December 2023 ordered by the VGCCC to introduce mandatory carded play. On Tuesday, Crown said more than 400,000 guests had registered for carded play since it was introduced at the casino, and welcomed the statewide rollout which it said would create a “more sustainable and safer gaming environment”.

“Crown has led by example, demonstrating that carded play is essential to developing a safer gaming environment,” Crown Melbourne chief executive Mike Volkert said.

“Our experience in developing and implementing these reforms means that we are well placed to assist the government and industry as they work to establish a safer and more sustainable gaming environment throughout Victoria.”

The Minns state government in NSW is weighing up similar moves to introduce mandatory carded play, on the back of a cashless gaming trial undertaken at venues across the state.

An independent panel on gambling reform submitted its recommendations to the NSW government on Tuesday after the NSW Crime Commission recommended cashless gaming as a measure to prevent money laundering in pubs and clubs.

Meanwhile, Tasmania’s minority Liberal government last week put its plan for a similar scheme on hold, saying it needed “to get the balance right between implementing effective harm minimisation measures and regulatory implications and understanding the complexities and costs”.

Victorian Gaming Minister Melissa Horne said the reforms in Victoria would “save lives and livelihoods by giving control back to patrons”.

“Almost 30 per cent of Victorians who play gaming machines experience gambling harm,” she said.

“Gambling harm has consequences, not just for the person gambling but for everyone around them. These reforms provide important protections for people using gaming machines and for their loved ones.”  

The legislation follows the enforcement of mandatory closure periods in August, requiring gaming areas in all Victorian hotels and clubs to remain closed between 4am and 10am.

Originally published as Crown Melbourne backs Victoria’s pokies crackdown