The Victorian gambling regulatory body has imposed a monetary penalty on the company that currently operates the Tower Hotel in Hawthorn East – Rumotel Pty Ltd – for alleged violations of the Gambling Regulation Act 2003.
Following an investigation initiated by the gambling watchdog of the state, the company has faced a total of 34 charges for Tower Hotel’s alleged failure to make sure it has YourPlay, the mandatory pre-commitment technology that is supposed to function on the electronic gaming machines hosted by the venues and the related YourPlay kiosk. Apart from that, the company faced another charge for an alleged Tower Hotel’s failure to make sure that its staff had passed the necessary compulsory training.
As mentioned above, YourPlay is a pre-commitment scheme that provides Victorian gamblers with the chance to establish time and spending limits to keep their gambling under control. The use of the scheme is only optional for players but, under the existing rules of the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC), venues across the state are required to make sure the scheme is installed and available on their electronic gaming terminals.
The VGCCC issued a ruling under which the venue was ordered to fully cease the operation of gambling machines until it made it matter right.
Victorian Gambling Regulator Remains Alert for Similar Poker Machine Violations
The chief executive officer of the Victorian gambling regulator, Annette Kimmitt, stated that any venue operator that fails to implement the YourPlay scheme and provide its patrons with the chance to set time and spend limits violates a key legal obligation that is focused on ensuring the protection of local communities from gambling-related harm. Ms Kimmitt further explained that the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission was actively monitoring the compliance of venues across the state with that requirement and would pursue the ones that deliberately fail to stay in line with their obligations or opportunistically do so.
According to reports, Rumotel Pty Ltd faced an overall fine of AU$758,172 as a result of 35 charges, because failing to have the technology installed is recognised as a breach of the Gambling Regulation Act 2003.
This is actually the second time in less than a month that the gambling regulatory body of the state of Victoria has slapped a poker machine operator with charges for a similar violation. In August, the Commission issued a monetary penalty worth AU$550,000 to the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) for operating so-called pokie machines without having the YourPlay scheme installed on the terminals.
As previously reported by Casino Guardian, the latest Global Gambling Statistics state that Australia is the nation that features the highest losses on various forms of gambling per person on a global scale. Reportedly, the regular gambler loses an average of about AU$1,870 on gambling every year.
- Author
Daniel Williams
