Victoria regulator sets out fresh responsible gaming remit

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission has stepped up its efforts to prioritise responsible gaming and avoid gambling harm in the Australian state.

Its statement says that “gambling harm is preventable” and that minimising harm will “guide all our regulatory decisions, actions and expectations.”

The VGCCC, which began operating last July, adds in its statement that a “possibility of harm remains whenever someone is gambling” and that “disregarding the possibility of harm is equivalent to disregarding harm.”

“Preventing harm means acting immediately and decisively whenever there are signs of harm or possible harm,” the statement continues, pushing operators to extend their care for customers “beyond merely complying with the law.”

VGCCC chair, Fran Thorn, said the statement is a “line in the sand” and that the regulator is looking to “hold gambling operators to account against their social licence, not just their regulatory obligations.”

Other initiatives set out by the regulator include a new Harm Minimisation Assessment Tool that considers a range of harm minimisation criteria for new or existing gaming machines – and the VGCCC says “several applications” have already been refused.

New conditions to improve harm minimisation measures at venues looking to increase the number of electronic gaming machines is another of the VGCC initiatives alongside maximum bets on new online keno games and preventing customers from reinvesting winnings.