The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has charged Tabcorp and eight other venues for allowing minors to gamble on the premises.
Tabcorp faces a total of 54 charges for breaching the Gambling Regulation Act 2003, 27 of which relate to allowing minors to gamble and failing to supervise electronic betting terminals.
The venues facing charges include the Olympic Hotel operated by Kevak Hotels, the Brunswick Club operated by The Brunswick Club, the Edwardes Lake Hotel operated by Lindec, the Parkview Hotel operated by Cathay International, and the Albion Charles Hotel, the Doncaster Hotel, the Rose Shamrock & Thistle Hotel all operated by The Australian Leisure & Hospitality Group.
These 27 violations occurred between 8 September and 1 November 2022, according to the VGCCC investigation.
The venue operators have been charged with allowing a minor within an area with gaming machines, allowing a minor to gamble and failing to supervise the electronic betting terminals.
The Northcote TAB agency has been charged with the two latter violations.
Annette Kimmitt AM, VGCCC CEO, said: “One of the most serious harms is allowing minors to gamble.
“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 investigation was initiated after the VGCCC received reports from the public regarding potential breaches of the Gambling Regulation Act breaches.
If the charges are taken to court and the operators are found guilty, the maximum collective fine will exceed AU$1m (US$0.64m).
Meanwhile, the maximum fine for Tabcorp sits at $698,997.60.
In some good news, however, Tabcorp was recently refunded AU$83m (US$53.4m) from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) after resolving a tax dispute.
