Crown Melbourne fined $100K after failing to block banned gambler for 15 hours
Crown Melbourne has been fined $100,000 after failing to stop an excluded gambler from playing for nearly 15 hours. The incident occurred in October 2022, despite the gambler being barred from the casino two months earlier. Staff only noticed the breach after an external inspection raised concerns. The gambler had been voluntarily excluded from Crown Melbourne in August 2022 due to welfare concerns. Self-exclusion agreements, which last at least 12 months, are designed to protect vulnerable individuals from gambling harm. Yet, in October 2022, the same person spent 14 hours and 40 minutes gambling without interruption. The $100,000 penalty highlights gaps in Crown Melbourne’s exclusion enforcement. The casino’s changes aim to prevent similar incidents in the future. Self-exclusion remains a key tool for reducing gambling-related harm in Victoria.
