Responsible Gambling in Australia: Viktoria Introduces New Gaming Rules

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Moving towards more responsible gambling to help those players with compulsive gaming habits, the Australian government announces a sweeping change to the way land-based and online reeled machines work in Victoria. There are five crucial rules that should be followed by all operators in the country.

A change to the way slot machines work in Australia was announced on July 16th by Daniel Andrews, Victoria’s premier, and Melissa Horne, the minister for casino, gaming, and liquor regulation.

The new rules that might implemented in Victoria and impact Australian players are as follows:

Mandatory pre-commitment limits

As soon as this reform takes effect, all providers of reeled machines, also referred to as “pokies” in Australia will be obliged to ask a player to set limits. It means that a player should enter a sum of money that he or she is ready to lose by spinning the reels of selected video slots.

Identity verification

Carded play will be introduced, so players will be requested to provide their IDs to a casino to play pokies. Thus, all gambling activities will be linked to a player’s identity. 

This step should not only contribute towards responsible gambling behavior but also to prevent money laundry.

A reduced load-up limit

The government also plans to reduce the load-up limit, so the sum of money that a player spends at one time on a gambling site should be lower. Currently, it should not exceed 1,000 AUD, but the government has announced a reduction to 100 AUD.

However, this sum is liable to change, as consultations with industry continue. Moreover, the experience of other jurisdictions with similar restrictions will be taken into account.

All EGMs in a venue should be closed between 4 a.m. -10 a.m.

A mandatory closure of all gaming machines during the 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. period should be implemented, as the current state of things allows players to move from one location to another to continue gambling. 

A reduced spin speed

In order to make the gaming experience on reeled machines less engaging, a spin speed limit should be introduced. Once the law takes effect, the duration of one gaming round will be no shorter than three seconds.

Furthermore, the Australian government plans to introduce a ban on gambling with credit cards in the country by the end of 2023.

At the same time, gambling in India is also influenced by the changes. The government announced a significant increase in taxes imposed on gambling venues in this emerging market.