Crown under fire for letting gamblers play pokies for 18 hours straight
Crown Resorts lets gamblers play at its poker machines and gaming tables for 18 hours straight before forcing them to take a break, and waits 12 hours to check if they are gambling dangerously.
The James Packer-backed casino giant’s policies are not only inconsistent with academic advice but sometimes not enforced, Victoria’s royal commission into Crown’s licence heard on Wednesday.
One patron went on a 34-hour gambling binge at the casino in 2019 before staff intervened, the commission heard, and even then was only asked to take an eight-hour break rather than the 24 hours outlined in Crown’s policy.
Crown reduced the time limit patrons could gamble without a break from 24 hours to 18 hours last year, Crown’s general manager of responsible gaming Sonja Bauer said, but staff still had “discretion” around how to enforce that.
Ms Bauer told the inquiry Crown automatically tracked its loyalty program members’ play across its 2628 poker machines and hundreds of gaming tables. “Responsible gaming advisers” were notified after 12, 15 and 17 hours of play and expected to “interact or observe” the gambler, which could include suggesting they take a break.
However, an adviser has given private evidence to the commission that it was standard practice to only approach gamblers after 12 hours if they were showing other “observable signs” of gambling harm such as visible distress, the inquiry heard.
Ms Bauer agreed with counsel assisting the inquiry Adrian Finanzio, SC, that “for years” Crown’s policies were inconsistent with the best available research on responsible gambling. A 2014 study referenced in Crown’s own code of conduct found that gambling for more than three hours straight was a sign of possible harm, for instance.
Mr Finanzio said Crown’s policies were instead “an example of the most irresponsible approach to gambling”.
“I wouldn’t accept it’s an irresponsible approach when there are some measures in place to actually measure the time of play,” Ms Bauer responded.
Staff had to use general observations to monitor the play of gamblers who were not part of its loyalty program, Ms Bauer said.
In a 11th hour pledge to overhaul its responsible gaming practices submitted to the commission last week, Crown has proposed limiting Australian patrons to a maximum of 12 hours gambling within any 24 hours period, with “observation” or “intervention” by advisers after eight hours and 10 hours.
Mr Finanzio asked Ms Bauer how long Crown had known that such a “significant change” to its policies was necessary.
“I can’t pinpoint the necessity of that,” she responded, while acknowledging the proposed new time limits were still double what the leading research suggested to limit harm.
The inquiry also heard that Crown’s 12 responsible gambling advisers were sometimes not able to act on time alerts until several hours after they received them, and sometimes not at all. Crown did not keep track of how many alerts were not acted on.
Victoria announced a royal commission into Crown’s casino licence in February after an independent inquiry in NSW found the group was unfit to hold the licence for its new Sydney casino.
The inquiry will continue public hearings on Thursday.
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NSW Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858; Gambler’s Help Line (Victoria) 1800 858 858
Business reporter at The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.
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