Gambling giant Tabcorp and eight Melbourne venues have been charged after allegedly allowing a 16-year-old to gamble at their venues almost 30 times in 2022.
The venues charged include the Endeavour Group-owned Doncaster Hotel in Doncaster, Albion Charles Hotel in Northcote and Rose Shamrock & Thistle Hotel in Reservoir.
Others charged are Preston’s Olympic Hotel, The Brunswick Club, Reservoir’s Edwardes Lake Hotel, The Parkview Hotel in Fitzroy North and the Northcote TAB Agency.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) said Tabcorp is facing 54 charges, including 27 counts of allowing a minor to gamble and failing to reasonably supervise its electronic betting terminals between May and September 2022.
The venues have been charged with allowing a minor to gamble, allowing a minor within a gaming machine area and failure to ensure gambling vending machines were reasonably supervised at all times.
If found guilty, the venues face a maximum collective fine in excess of $1 million, while Tabcorp could face a maximum fine of almost $700,000, the VGCCC said.
It’s understood the charges relate to bets placed using electronic betting terminals in sports betting sections of the venues.
The regulator began investigating after a member of the public complained last May.
A spokesperson for Endeavour Group told news.com.au: “Endeavour Group acknowledges the charges brought by the VGCCC against Endeavour Group’s Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group Pty Limited (ALH).”
“Endeavour Group and ALH takes its responsibility and compliance obligations very seriously and will continue to work constructively with the VGCCC.”
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VGCCC CEO Annette Kimmitt said: “All gambling venues must ensure they do not accept a bet from a minor and must ask for identification from anyone they suspect could be underage”.
The allegations follow a shocking video which emerged in 2020 of a 12-year-old girl playing poker machines at Sydney’s Star Casino.
Liquor & Gaming NSW released the video of three underage children gambling after being snuck into the casino by their parents.
The Star was hit with a $90,000 fine following the incident, which also involved a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old.
Research from the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling found that in 2020 about 40 per cent of NSW children aged 12 to 17 played video games or use apps that look and feel like gambling, and about 30 per cent of those surveyed had bet for money.
Activities such as bingo, sports betting on and offline, scratchies and lottery tickets were the most popular gambling activities followed by informal betting, such as playing poker at school.
The research found that 3.6 per cent of children survey had bet on the pokies, and that parents were often funding and enabling their children’s gambling activities.
