SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Australia’s state of Victoria has concluded its most comprehensive investigation into underage land-based gambling to date, with the results speaking for themselves.
The state treasury is now AUD $499k (£250k) richer following 14 prosecutions and 98 charges against 10 entities challenged by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC).
A complaint filed with the VGCCC by a concerned mother of a 17-year-old prompted an investigation spanning across a total of 2,000 hours.
Annette Kimmitt AM, CEO of VGCCC, commented: “Nothing can make up for the harm a Melbourne family experienced as a result of the failure by multiple operators to prevent a young teen from gambling between May 2022 and October 2023.
“I can only imagine how difficult it was for the mother to come to us and I commend her for doing so. I hope the outcomes and conclusion of these proceedings bring her some comfort, following the significant trauma she and her family have gone through.”
The wide-scale probe concluded with a final court hearing on 13 February, where Correct Bet Pty Ltd – operating Coburg TAB – pleaded guilty to two charges (allowing a minor to gamble and failing to supervise), being hit with an AUD $3k fine.
Out of the other 9 charged culprits, the one that attracts the most attention is Tabcorp Wagering. Not only because it was hit with the most significant fine (AUD $274k), but also because of the high number of minors allowed to gamble on-site (30 charges) compared to the total average (6.2).
“When industry is not diligent about complying with its legal and social obligations, the consequences for everyday Victorians can be serious and long lasting, which is why the VGCCC is determined to hold operators to account,” Kimmitt added.
The commencing of the investigation in Victoria seemed inevitable if you have been following the recent developments in the state.
In January 2024, officials from the state regulator called for urgent actions by Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese to limit the scope of wagering ads.
Back then, Kimmitt revealed to the local edition of The Guardian that she has been ‘bombarded’ with letters from concerned parents that suspect their children of being secret gamblers – blaming it on gambling advertising.
The same month saw VGCCC directly requesting Tabcorp – the exclusive betting licence holder in the state – to deepen its duty of care commitment by introducing cashless retail betting on 70% of its terminals in land-based venues as a pre-emptive measure against underage betting.
In an exclusive comment for SBC News following the above, Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA) highlighted the importance of bringing land-based gambling on par with the safety protocols integrated into its online counterpart.
Kai Cantwell, RWA CEO, then said: “It is absolutely unacceptable that any underage Australian is gambling, which is why online wagering providers verify the age and identity of all customers before they can make a transaction.
“This is also an important mechanism to mitigate money laundering and terrorism financing risks.
“RWA welcomes sensible regulatory measures that bring other forms of gambling up to the standard that online wagering providers already operate on.”
