Australia

AUSTRAC CEO Focuses on Gambling Industry Compliance

Published

9 months ago

March 14, 2025

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AUSTRAC, the anti-money laundering watchdog in Australia, will continue to give a prime focus on the gambling industry and won’t be cautious in taking action against companies that fail comply with their obligations, CEO Brendan Thomas said.

During a Keynote Address on the final day of the Regulating the Game conference in Sydney on Thursday, Thomas said it still has a lot of “activities” around the gambling industry in the works, even as it looks to conclude long-running actions against casino operator Star Entertainment Group and online operator Entain for various compliance failures.

More importantly, he promised that although AUSTRAC will work with industry to achieve appropriate outcomes, its patience has limits.

“I’ve been the CEO of AUSTRAC for just over a year and I’m so proud of the work that we’ve done in that time to reduce the harms to our community. But while I’ve been working with the industry and our reporting entities to reduce that harm, AUSTRAC is not in the business of continuing to educate without action. It is important that businesses understand their legal obligations because I’m prepared to take strong and swift action where it is warranted,” he said.

“If you expect AUSTRAC to educate, educate, educate and then take action years later, you’re mistaken. If you think your business is too small to take responsibility for regulatory compliance, you’re also mistaken. Your services in the gambling industry have been subject to a regulatory regime for many years now and it is your responsibility to comply,” he added.

Noting that licensed operators in Australia face an ever-evolving risk landscape due to “the digitization of currency, financial systems that are more dispersed and complex, the need for more sophisticated customer verification processes, and greater competition in the rapidly expanding online gaming sector,” Thomas called on operators large and small to run thorough risk assessments in order to properly identify where the true risks of infiltration sit for each.

This, he explained, is in line with the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2024 that was passed in federal parliament last year.

The bill, which updated the previous act from 2006, adds a raft of new industries to AUSTRAC’s purview – namely real estate professionals, lawyers, accountants, trust and company service providers, and dealers in precious stones and metals – but also amends laws around how entities should comply with their obligations.

“We’re trying to shift the way that we do regulation in our regulated industries away from pure compliance to a proper discussion about risk so that we can talk to you about what that risk actually is and then we can focus practically on what are the controls that are directly aimed at those risks rather than just ticking a bunch of compliance boxes. We aim to take the bureaucracy out of what we do and how we do it,” he said.

Despite promising to be tougher on those who fail to properly comply, Thomas said the agency also wants to improve its lines of communications with the industries it regulates.

“AUSTRAC is making some significant changes ourselves – establishing functions that are purely about establishing proper partnerships with our regulated industries,” he said.

“In the past we haven’t done that and we are committed to working in partnership with those industries that want to comply with the law. We will also be much more transparent and forward on what our legal position is on a whole range of different moves and we will be more up front about where we are seeing risks that affect our regulated industries.

“[But] there is no question on where [illegal] funds come from and how those funds are impacting Australians. There is the crime that leads to profits in the first place and then the reinvestment of those profits into more crime. At the worst end of the scale, we are talking about illicit drugs running, scams, child sexual exploitation and significant amount of human trafficking, so if you are in the gambling industry you have a pretty big obligation to help us combat these problems,” he added.

The post AUSTRAC CEO Focuses on Gambling Industry Compliance appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Australia

Crown Melbourne Fined for Exclusion Breach

Published

3 days ago

November 26, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Crown Melbourne has been fined $100,000 by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) for allowing an excluded individual to gamble for nearly 15 hours.

VGCCC CEO Suzy Neilan said the incident underscores the need for safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals.

“Exclusion is a critical harm minimisation tool. It enables a clear barrier between an individual and the gambling environment especially during moments of vulnerability,” Ms Neilan said.

The breach occurred on the evening of 31 October 2024, when the person (who for welfare concerns was excluded by Crown in August 2024) entered Crown Melbourne and gambled continuously for 14 hours and 40 minutes. The person was not approached by a Crown PlaySafe attendant or any other employee during this period.

“For nearly 15 hours, the person was able to gamble continuously without taking a break, interacting with staff, or being identified by Crown’s surveillance systems. Crown staff only became aware of the breach after being alerted by a VGCCC inspector,” Ms Neilan said.

Ms Neilan acknowledged the individual had made efforts to conceal their identity but said the incident indicates that the implemented measures have not sufficiently mitigated potential shortcomings in Crown’s systems and controls in policing the presence of an excluded person.

Crown assisted the VGCCC with this investigation and has implemented further controls in the last 12 months, including reconfiguring gaming floor entrances, reviewing the location of facial recognition cameras and continuous training for entry point officers.

“This incident highlights the challenges of enforcing exclusions, but also the importance of continuous improvement and vigilance. Crown Melbourne must ensure that its procedures are constantly assessed so that the likelihood of an excluded person entering the casino is minimal,” Ms Neilan said.

The post Crown Melbourne Fined for Exclusion Breach appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Australia

VGCCC: EGM Application Improvements Consultation

Published

1 week ago

November 21, 2025

Niji Narayan

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VGCCC has launched consultation on proposed reforms to the application process for Electronic Gaming Machine approvals in Victoria.

“Our Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) application process for new premises approvals under section 3.3.6 and EGM increase applications under section 3.4.17 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 is undergoing a significant uplift to align with modern expectations, recent legislative change, and our strengthened mandate to minimise gambling harm. It also intends to reduce red tape by ensuring applicants focus on priority factors that commonly determine the suitability of an application,” VGCCC said.

VGCCC is inviting feedback from all stakeholders — including, but not limited to, industry participants, councils, experts and community organisations — to provide feedback on:

• the clarity and practicality of the revised application and hearing processes

• ambiguities, redundancies or gaps in the revised application form and practice notes

• any other opportunities to improve the application and hearing process.

Consultation period closes on 19 December 2025.

The post VGCCC: EGM Application Improvements Consultation appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

ACMA

ACMA: Self-Excluded Gamblers Report a Better Quality of Life

Published

2 weeks ago

November 14, 2025

Niji Narayan

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New survey figures from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has revealed that around four in five people (77%) who have registered for self-exclusion from online and phone wagering services experience a better overall quality of life.

The ACMA-commissioned research into user experience with BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register also found 79% of registrants experienced improved mental health and 69% experience better personal relationships with family, friends and partners.

Almost all (96%) of registrants surveyed also said that they had either completely stopped betting on sports or racing events (81%) or had decreased their betting (15%).

ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said that the survey and research results show how self-exclusion is helping Australians to manage their gambling behaviour.

“We know online gambling causes a great deal of harm for too many in our communities. It is wonderful to see that the national self-exclusion register is having a positive impact. The stories shared with us are both moving and compelling,” Ms Lidgerwood said.

“We want to make sure everyone who uses phone or internet gambling in Australia is aware of their options for self-exclusion.

“It only takes five minutes to register, and this could change your life,” she said.

The research was undertaken by ORIMA on behalf of the ACMA. The report, including individual case studies, is available at BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register research.

The findings from this research will also help to inform the statutory review of the NSER that is currently underway.

The release of the research coincides with BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register reaching a new milestone, with more than 50,000 Australians now having chosen to self-exclude since the launch of the programme in August 2023. Over 32,000 people currently have active exclusions.

When someone chooses to register, they are excluded from all of the approximately 190 licensed wagering providers in Australia.

The post ACMA: Self-Excluded Gamblers Report a Better Quality of Life appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.