Crown Melbourne fined $2m after at least 242 self-excluded people gained access to gaming floor

Crown Melbourne has been fined AU$2 million (US$1.34 million) after government-appointed monitors detected that the casino allowed at least 242 people who had previously self-excluded to access its slot machines and table games, according to a report by Casino.org.

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) announced the penalty on Tuesday. The state regulator said the breaches occurred between October 2023 and May 2024.

What the regulator said

VGCCC Chair Fran Thorn said the safeguards Crown had in place to stop self-excluded individuals reaching the pokies and tables were inadequate. She said the casino's failure had real consequences for the people involved.

"Those who self-exclude must be able to trust that gambling providers will take all reasonable steps to enforce their decision to avail themselves of this harm prevention initiative," said VGCCC Chair Fran Thorn. "By allowing people who have self-excluded to enter the casino and gamble, Crown has put them at risk of experiencing further gambling harm."

Ms Thorn also acknowledged that many of the individuals who got past the entry gates went to "considerable lengths to avoid detection and break their exclusion requirements", according to the source. The report does not detail what those methods were.

The fine was warranted under the Casino Control Act 1991, Ms Thorn said, as cited by Casino.org. The source does not break down how the AU$2 million figure was calculated, nor does it say how many times each person entered or how much they gambled.

Remedial steps and the ordered review

Ms Thorn said Crown Melbourne has, since May, taken steps to improve its entrance security. She said the casino has strengthened its policing of exclusion lists and introduced new compliance monitoring procedures. These are the regulator's descriptions of the changes; the source does not set out the specific measures or say whether they have been independently tested.

The regulator has also ordered Crown to commission a third-party security firm to "assess the effectiveness of, and make recommendations for improving, the management of its self-exclusion program". The source does not give a deadline for the review or say whether its findings will be made public.

Crown's wider compliance history

Casino.org notes that Crown Resorts, which owns and operates Crown Melbourne, has been overhauling its corporate structure and its approach to regulatory obligations. It links this to state inquiries in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia, which found Crown had done little to prevent money laundering at its casinos. The report says the laundering was largely linked to organised crime and Chinese triads.

According to the same report, Crown kept its gaming licences in each jurisdiction. It says majority owner Blackstone Group paid $450 million in fines and invested $130 million to upgrade the company's regulatory defences. The source does not specify the currency of those figures.

Self-exclusion in Australia

Casino.org also reports that the Australian Government launched its first national self-exclusion register, BetStop, in 2023. It says more than 28,000 people have registered since it began in August 2023, with 35 per cent choosing a lifetime ban. BetStop offers exclusion periods from three months to a lifetime. People can apply to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), which facilitates the register, to have their exclusion revoked. They must demonstrate they have sought help, and can apply only after at least three months on the list.

The article cites a 2022 government study that found more than 70 per cent of men and 56 per cent of women aged 18 to 34 were "at risk" of gambling harm. It also says nearly 75 per cent of Australian adults gamble at least once a year. The source does not name the study or explain how these figures were produced, and it does not explain how BetStop relates to venue-based exclusion schemes such as the one at issue here.

If gambling is causing harm, free and confidential support is available through the national Gambling Help line on 1800 858 858.