MEDIA RELEASE

 

NICK XENOPHON M.L.C.

INDEPENDENT NO POKIES MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL  

28th April 2004

 

LIQUOR AND GAMBLING COMMISSIONER FINDS CASINO BREACHED CODES OF PRACTICE

CASINO IN DEEP WATER OVER DOLPHIN POKIES PROMOTION

AND SHOPPING SPREE PROMOTION IS “MISLEADING”

 ·      Casino Faces Hefty Fines/Penalties From Independent Gambling Authority.

Skycity Adelaide Casino faces disciplinary action and hefty fines as a result of being found to have breached Gambling law Codes of Practice in relation to two recent promotions.

Potential penalties under the legislation include a $100 000 fine, a Supreme Court injunction, or even loss or suspension of the Casino licence.

Last month, No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon - made a complaint to the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner, Bill Pryor about two Casino promotions.

The first related to an advertisement headed: ‘“Think how much shopping you could do if you won $10 000”, offering Westfield shopping vouchers’ for Action card holders.

The Advertising Code of Practice prohibits gambling advertising that is tied in with obtaining basic household purchases.

Commissioner Pryor found that:

“I agree that the advertisement links gambling with household staples. The advertisement is also misleading in that patrons are led to believe that they must play machines or table games to enter the draw. This is actually not the case. All that is required is to log on to the loyalty system by inserting the Action card into a card reader at a machine or table game. The advertisement also breaches clause 5 in that it fails to include sufficient information to allow a reasonable informed person to understand the overall return to player or odds of winning.”

The second complaint related to the heavily promoted Dolphin Treasure Pokie Tournament which offered free credit, prizes for free play to Casino patrons.                  

The Commissioner found that:

"[t]he advertisement offends clause 5 of the Advertising Code of Practice because it fails to include sufficient information to allow a reasonably informed person to understand the overall return to player or odds of winning; and as the advertisement/promotion encourages a person to gamble during a particular period, it failed to include sufficient information to allow a reasonably informed person to appreciate how likely it is that the prize will be won by someone during that period.”

It is now up to the Independent Gambling Authority to determine the appropriate penalty to be imposed on the Casino. It is understood that the Casino has requested time to make a submission to the Authority before a penalty is imposed.

Mr Xenophon said he felt “vindicated” by the complaints, as should the welfare groups who also expressed concern over the promotions.

These codes of practice are meant to reign in conduct by gambling venues that could exacerbate problem gambling. The Commissioner’s findings should be taken seriously, and the Casino deserves a significant penalty to act as a deterrent for this type of conduct not to occur again – and to send a warning to other gambling operators”.

 

Written and authorised by Nick Xenophon, 653 Lower North East Road, Paradise, SA 5075