WA to introduce $10 bet limit on Crown pokies machines
A $10 betting restriction on electronic gaming machines (EGMs) in Western Australia is set to be implemented on July 1, 2023, at Perth’s Crown Casino.
The move was endorsed by Tony Buti, the minister of Racing and Gaming, and enforced by the Gaming and Wagering Commission. It will take the region a step closer to rounding up the work underway to introduce the recommendations from the final report of the state’s Perth Casino Royal Commission.
In March this year, Crown Casino was deemed unsuitable to hold on to a gaming license in Western Australia. The company was, however, given a remediation plan to clean up its act in order to enable it to continue offering its gaming services. The plan would stretch over two years and be overseen by an independent monitor.
The findings on Crown’s Western Australia subsidiary were similar to that discovered in its Victoria and New South Wales branches. The company was found to have allowed junkets with criminal ties to do business at the gaming venue and neglected to reduce gambling-related harm.
READ: Crown Melbourne fined $120m over responsible gambling breaches
Crown was also accused of not being transparent or accountable in its dealings and barely communicating with the state regulator. Appointing an independent monitor was part of the royal commission’s 59 recommendations for the approval, monitoring, and frequent reports on the casino’s remediation plan.
The Gaming and Wagering Commission Chair, Lanie Choping, revealed that the commission was pleased with the amount of work underway and intended to do much more in the coming year.
“We are pleased to advise that significant work is already underway to implement a number of the royal commission’s recommendations, with much to be achieved in the next 12 to 18 months,” Choping stated.
“The Gaming and Wagering Commission is considering all policy aspects and recommendations related to EGMs – including the impact of any required technology updates – in order to fast-track these reforms.
“The Commission understands the importance of its role as an independent regulator and is committed to fully exploring these matters so that sound and appropriately informed public policy positions can be developed.”
The government of Western Australia is also going forward with EGM harm minimization measures that include preset weekly time and loss limits, and cashless EGMs in order to better observe players’ gambling activity. This part of the reforms will likely be implemented by December 1, 2025. The time frame will allow any additional policy or needed technology to be put in place.
The new reforms will be developed on the existing gaming machine restrictions in Western Australia, which are some of the strictest in the country. The EGMs location is restricted to Crown, which was previously approved to operate around 2,500 machines.
Buti further explained that the new betting restriction would help the Western Australian government to curb gambling harm, particularly for EGMs gaming operators.
“The leading recommendation made by the royal commission to address the risk of gambling-related harm for casino patrons is for a comprehensive scheme that will empower them to set their own spend and time limits for EGM use,” Buti said.
“Enacting the $10 limit is the first step as we continue to work towards minimizing gambling harm, especially for casino patrons using EGMs.
“The WA Government remains committed to working with the Gaming and Wagering Commission to deliver successful outcomes on the royal commission’s final report recommendations.”
The Gaming and Wagering Commission and state government have made notable progress in addressing the issues the Royal Commission raised. The Casino Control Act 1984 was recently amended to expand the commission’s powers to direct the gaming licensee concerning all Perth Casino-related operations. The Casino Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 also recently moved through parliament.
