The Queensland Government has unveiled a series of stricter casino legislation that is expected to provide it with better oversight of the industry.
The Palaszczuk Government has decided to follow suit with other Australian states that have recently implemented tougher measures on their gambling sectors, following regulatory inquiries faced by Crown Resorts in the states of Victoria, New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA), and by Star Entertainment Group in New South Wales.
The new laws have been aimed at providing the implementation of independent monitors to oversee casino services in each of the aforementioned states and to also remove the requirement for the local Government to compensate gambling companies for introducing stricter regulation. Under the stricter rules, state Governments in Australia are also given the opportunity to impose larger fines of up to AU$100 million on casino companies for various violations.
The recent decision of the Palaszczuk Government to implement stricter casino laws in the state’s casino industry followed a Royal Commission inquiry into Star Entertainment in Queensland, which found that the Australian gambling giant was unfit to hold a casino operating permit for The Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane. As previously reported by Casino Guardian, the report findings also recommended that an independent monitor should have been implemented to oversee the company’s operations. The stricter casino laws, however, will also apply to other casinos in Queensland, including The Reef in Cairns and The Ville in Townsville.
Recent Damning Report into The Star Entertainment Unleashes Stricter Gambling Laws in Queensland
Shannon Fentiman, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice in the state of Queensland, shared that the new laws would make sure that local casinos are offering their services in a lawful manner so that they stick to the responsibility of reducing gambling-related harm.
As Ms Fentiman explained, the new laws are aimed at improving the integrity of the sector and also keeping any illegal, unethical, or dishonest behaviour out of Queensland casinos. Considering the very concerning findings of the Gotterson Review, the local Government had decided to act swiftly in order to prioritise the implementation of critical reforms that addressed major issues in the aforementioned report.
According to Queensland’s Justice Minister, it was extremely important that these reforms were implemented as soon as possible, especially in the light of the potential outcomes of the show cause process associated with The Star Entertainment Group. Considering the fact that the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation is expected to issue a show cause notice to The Star Entertainment Group, the newly-unveiled legislative reforms are expected to provide the local Government with more options to respond to the potential outcomes of that process.
Ms Fentiman further noted that the new rules are set to make the gambling legislation of the state more up-to-date so that it allows the addition of new payment methods and systems to be taken into consideration in case they are reliable and safe to use. She explained that stricter checks and balances have been implemented, so any cash alternatives have to be evaluated and approved, including measures aimed at minimising gambling-related harm.
- Author
Daniel Williams
