Released 21/06/2018
The Gambling and Racing Commission (Commission) has today made a decision following the consent order made by the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) on 14 June 2018.
A consent order is the documented agreement between parties which settles a matter which has come before the Tribunal. The ACAT’s orders set aside the Commission’s original decision and remitted the matter to the Commission for reconsideration.
In accordance with the ACAT’s orders, the Commission carefully considered the remittal and reached the decision that it was appropriate to take the following disciplinary action against the licensee, namely, to issue a reprimand to Raiders. In the context of the decision it was noted that the Raiders informed the Commission that:
- it would inform the Commission in relation to its procedures and training for recording gambling incidents under the Gambling and Racing Control (Code of Practice) Regulation 2002, by providing to the Commission by 1 December 2019 an external compliance report on these matters; and
- it decided to demonstrate its continuing commitment to support harm minimisation measures by making a donation of $60,000 to an appropriate charity.
Until this position had been reached by the Board it was not appropriate for the Commission to comment.
Chief Executive Officer of the Commission David Snowden has now provided the following comments on this matter:
“Matters of gambling harm rightly evoke a strong and emotive response due to the significant impacts it has on individuals, families, friends and the community.
“We expect clubs and venues to comply with the legislative frameworks and identify and act on signs of gambling harm on their premises.
“The significant impacts of gambling harm is also why the Commission investigates and takes appropriate action as a matter of priority.
“Through the settlement with the Raiders, they have indicated that at their expense, they have agreed to enhance training for their staff, which has already commenced and to engage a suitably qualified independent third party to audit and report on their compliance program around gambling harm.
“The agreement also indicated that the Raiders intended to make a financial contribution of $60,000 to an appropriate charity to demonstrate its continuing commitment to support harm minimisation measures.
“The Commission has already identified that a specific deterrent effect has occurred since it took action with the Raiders matter.
“Through this matter the Commission has also identified areas of possible law reform and will be providing advice to government in the near future.
“The Commission is committed to ensuring all licensees are compliant with their legislative requirements and understand their responsibilities in applying harm minimisation measures to support our community.
“The Commission has instructed Access Canberra to undertake another round of proactive compliance inspections of licenced venues to ensure compliance with ATM and EFTPOS limits.”
- Statement ends -
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