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Australia

New Harm Minimisation Measures for Pubs and Clubs with Gaming Machines Come into Effect in New South Wales

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Pubs and clubs in New South Wales with gaming machines are now required to comply with important new measures intended to embed a culture of harm minimisation in venues to support people at risk of gambling harm.

Venues with more than 20 gaming machines now need to have a dedicated Responsible Gambling Officer (RGO) on duty while gaming machines are in operation.

Under the changes, licensed venues are also banned from placing any signage or advertising relating to gaming machines either on, or visible from, an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) or EFTPOS terminal.

Any sign that advertises or gives direction to ATMs or EFTPOS terminals will also not be allowed to be visible from a gaming machine or any part of a gaming area.

Venues will be given a month’s grace period to ensure they are compliant with the new ATM signage rules before enforcement activity commences in August.

The NSW Government has consulted industry and stakeholders on the new requirements.

Venues will be responsible for identifying and training suitable staffs to fulfil the role of Responsible Gambling Officers, who will help identify and support patrons displaying concerning gambling behaviour, make referrals to gambling support services and facilitate requests for self-exclusion.

The number of officers required to be on duty will be scaled depending on the number of gaming machine entitlements a venue has.

Venues will also be required to keep a Gambling Incident Register to record details of occurrences including where a patron displays behaviour that indicates they are at risk of, or experiencing gambling harm, and any requests for self-exclusion.

Further changes will be rolled out from 1 January 2025, when all ATMs must:

  • Be located at least five metres from the entry to a gaming room or area where gaming machines are located.
  • Not be visible from:
    • The entry to a gaming room, or area or room where gaming machines are located.
    • A gaming machine.

Liquor & Gaming NSW inspectors have already commenced visiting venues across the state to ensure they are aware of the new 1 July obligations, and will be providing further guidance to industry about the changes that apply from 1 January 2025.

Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said: “We know that gaming machines represent the most serious risk of gambling harm, impacting individuals and their loved ones.

“The NSW Government is committed to implementing gambling reform to reduce these harms, including this introduction of Responsible Gambling Officers in pubs and clubs, and changes to the placement and visibility of ATMs in venues.

“Responsible Gambling Officers will work to identify those patrons most at risk, or who are already experiencing gambling harm, check on their wellbeing and help refer them to support services if required.

“Having cash dispensing facilities further away from gaming machines encourages a clean break in play for patrons who may be losing track of what they are spending.

“We’ll be monitoring compliance in these areas closely to see if we need to look at strengthening harm minimisation laws even further.”

The post New Harm Minimisation Measures for Pubs and Clubs with Gaming Machines Come into Effect in New South Wales appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Australia

Konami Promotes Tom Jingoli to President and COO

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Konami Gaming has announced the promotion of Tom Jingoli to President & Chief Operating Officer, as well as Managing Director of its overseas subsidiary Konami Australia Pty Ltd.

For more than 20 years, Tom Jingoli has served Konami with strategic leadership across a variety of areas, including compliance, sales, marketing, customer service and more. Concurrent to this announcement, Konami marked the appointment of Steve Sutherland as Corporate Officer for parent company KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION, where he now serves in addition to carrying on his role as Chief Executive Officer of Konami Gaming Inc.

“Considering Tom Jingoli’s exceptional industry tenure, commitment, vision, and impact, it is especially rewarding to announce this leadership change within the organization. As President of Konami Gaming and Managing Director of Konami Australia, Jingoli will continue the organizations’ business growth, market expansion, and positive momentum on a global scale,” said Steve Sutherland, chief executive officer at Konami Gaming.

As President & COO of Konami Gaming, Tom Jingoli is responsible for successful daily operations, execution and partnership throughout the business, to ensure company results. All internal departments and divisions are under his direct report, spanning seven locations across five continents. This supervision extends to his role as Managing Director of Konami Australia. In his role as Chief Executive Officer of Konami Gaming, Steve Sutherland continues to oversee all aspects of the global organisation and its divisions to achieve long-range goals. Steve Sutherland and Tom Jingoli are both long-time members on Konami Gaming’s Board of Directors.

The post Konami Promotes Tom Jingoli to President and COO appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Australia

VGCCC: Minors Exposed to Gambling at ALH Venues

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Victorian venues are putting young people at risk when they turn a blind eye to, or otherwise fail to prevent, minors entering poker machine areas, according to Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) CEO Suzy Neilan.

Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) was fined $38,000 without conviction in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria for offences involving 3 minors at 3 venues on 4 dates in 2024.

ALH pleaded guilty to 6 charges, having self-reported the breaches to the VGCCC, which Ms Neilan said was important to recognise as a positive step towards improving industry practices.

“Being accountable for wrongdoing demonstrates integrity, which has been a focus of the VGCCC’s ongoing work with gambling operators,” she said.

“But it’s not enough to own up after the fact. Venues must be proactive about ensuring that minors do not access poker machine areas by ensuring they have in place appropriate systems, processes and staff.

“Operators should undertake a risk assessment and put in place controls to prevent minors from entering gambling areas. Some examples of controls could include displaying clear signage that the poker machine room is for adults only and checking the identification of anyone who appears under 25 years of age.”

Ms Neilan said it was not acceptable that any Victorian clubs and hotels – in this case, the Cramers and Excelsior hotels – were repeat offenders.

A 17-year-old was able to enter the poker machine area of Cramers Hotel in Preston multiple times without having to show ID, despite several interactions with staff and visits to the poker machine area on 24 January 2024. Staff intervened on 25 January 2024 only after the underage teen placed his belongings next to a poker machine.

Separately, a child in the company of 2 adults entered the poker machine area of the Excelsior Hotel in Thomastown on 24 April 2024. The child, who was seated with one of the adults, pressed buttons on the poker machine before they were both escorted from the area.

And on 27 September 2024, a 14-year-old boy entered the poker machine room of the Mountain View Hotel in Glen Waverley and gambled on a poker machine before staff intervened.

Ms Neilan said the VGCCC would continue to be vigilant about prosecuting venues for allowing minors to access the gambling areas of their premises, but that “prevention is better than cure”.

“I encourage all hotels and clubs to review their operations, including staff training, and consider making any adjustments required to ensure compliance with the law.”

In addition to the fine, the Magistrate ordered ALH to pay VGCCC’s legal costs of $40,000. The Magistrate also noted that but for the guilty plea, he would have fined ALH $90,000 and recorded a criminal conviction.

Summary of charges:

Incident 1 – Cramers Hotel:

Charge 1: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area

Charge 2: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble

Incident 2 – Excelsior Hotel:

Charge 3: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area

Charge 4: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble

Incident 3 – Mountain View Hotel:

Charge 5: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area

Charge 6: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble.

The post VGCCC: Minors Exposed to Gambling at ALH Venues appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Australia

ACMA Blocks More llegal Online Gambling Websites

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has requested the Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to block more illegal online gambling sites, after investigations found these services to be operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

The latest sites blocked include Casiny, CoinPoker, Crown Play, Fafabet9, SlotFred, Smart 93 and Vigor Spin.

Website blocking is one of a range of enforcement options to protect Australians against illegal online gambling. Since the ACMA made its first blocking request in November 2019, 1251 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked. Around 220 illegal services have also pulled out of the Australian market since the ACMA started enforcing new illegal online gambling rules in 2017.

The post ACMA Blocks More llegal Online Gambling Websites appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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