Australia
Australian NAB Bank Offers Gambling Restriction Option In App
NAB is providing new ways for customers to take greater control over their finances, becoming the first Australian bank to offer the option to block gambling transactions via its app.
All retail banking customers with NAB Visa Credit or NAB Visa Debit cards can now restrict most gambling transactions with immediate effect – with just one touch.
The gambling block capability was first implemented via iOS devices in December 2019, and has now been expanded to Android devices. NAB also remains the only major Australian bank to offer a restriction option on debit cards.
NAB Chief Customer Experience Officer Rachel Slade said the new app feature would support Australians in controlling their financial future. In December, the latest annual Australian Gambling Statistics report revealed almost $25 billion of gambling expenditure in 2017-18, with this figure rising by around 5 per cent on the year prior.
“It’s very easy to place a bet, so there’s real value in giving people the option to plan ahead and control their spending. This tool is designed to put the choice in the hands of our customers,” Ms Slade said.
“Since commencing the roll-out in December we have seen more than 10,000 customers turn on the restriction, highlighting the importance of offering easy-to-use tools for customers to manage their finances.”
The new app capability comes as Australians continue to face significant budgeting challenges, with the NAB Australian Wellbeing Survey, released Wednesday, revealing rising financial anxiety and one in four Australians experiencing some form of financial stress or hardship over the past three months.
“We’re making it easier for customers to take greater control over their money,” Ms Slade said.
“We also recognise problem gambling remains a major challenge affecting the community, and one that requires organisations, governments, and the community to work together to effectively address.”
NAB will continue to offer new opportunities for customers to improve their financial health and wellbeing, with other recent actions including offering a free credit health check for all Australians, launching ‘My Goals’ to track progress on personal savings ambitions and providing SMS reminders for credit card payments.
Background
- Customers need to have the latest version of the app to be able to access the feature. It blocks most gambling transactions, including sports betting, casino games, lottery tickets and online gambling – more details at nab.com.au/gamblingrestriction.
- In March 2019, NAB first rolled out a gambling restriction service, which gave customers the option to call NAB Customer Support on 1300 308 175 to block most gambling transactions. This service is active.
- The Customer Support team is set up to assist any customers experiencing vulnerability, including when gambling is the cause, and can refer customers to a specialist gambling financial counsellor if appropriate (via Uniting’s CareRing program).
- The restriction can be removed via the NAB App or by calling NAB Customer Support, however there will be a delayed reactivation of 48 hours during which time the request to reactivate can be cancelled.
- The Australian Banking Association recently released a discussion paper on the use of credit cards for gambling and the role of banks in addressing problem gambling and is currently seeking public feedback.
The Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) has launched a compliance campaign focusing on external gambling signage and internal gambling related signage that is visible from the outside of the premises.
Inspectors will be engaging licensees and attending venues to assess compliance.
L&GNSW will be taking escalated enforcement action against any venue found not to be complying with the requirements.
From 1 December 2023, L&GNSW adopted a zero-tolerance enforcement approach regarding external gambling-related signage. This followed a compliance campaign which involved the removal of all external gambling related signage such as “VIP Lounge,” signage that includes dragon imagery or similar, and the removal of adopted imagery including images associated with gaming machines.
External gambling related signage at hotels and registered clubs are subjected to the requirements of sections 43 and 44 of the Gaming Machines Act 2001 NSW (the Act).
These requirements are in place to continue supporting gambling harm minimisation by reducing the visibility and promotion of gambling, particularly to vulnerable individuals and the broader community.
Venues that are not yet compliant should consult the 2023 Compliance Campaign: External gaming signage for hotels & clubs position paper or contact the Hospitality Concierge for additional information on the requirements.
L&GNSW recommends venues conduct self-audits to ensure their obligations and requirements in relation to the Act are met. A Gaming Harm Minimisation Fact sheet is also available.
Breaches of section 43(1) and 44(1) of the Act can result in on the spot fines of $1100 per offence or a maximum fine of $11,000 per offence if prosecuted.
The post L&GNSW Launches Compliance Campaign appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Konami Gaming has announced the promotion of Tom Jingoli to President & Chief Operating Officer, as well as Managing Director of its overseas subsidiary Konami Australia Pty Ltd.
For more than 20 years, Tom Jingoli has served Konami with strategic leadership across a variety of areas, including compliance, sales, marketing, customer service and more. Concurrent to this announcement, Konami marked the appointment of Steve Sutherland as Corporate Officer for parent company KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION, where he now serves in addition to carrying on his role as Chief Executive Officer of Konami Gaming Inc.
“Considering Tom Jingoli’s exceptional industry tenure, commitment, vision, and impact, it is especially rewarding to announce this leadership change within the organization. As President of Konami Gaming and Managing Director of Konami Australia, Jingoli will continue the organizations’ business growth, market expansion, and positive momentum on a global scale,” said Steve Sutherland, chief executive officer at Konami Gaming.
As President & COO of Konami Gaming, Tom Jingoli is responsible for successful daily operations, execution and partnership throughout the business, to ensure company results. All internal departments and divisions are under his direct report, spanning seven locations across five continents. This supervision extends to his role as Managing Director of Konami Australia. In his role as Chief Executive Officer of Konami Gaming, Steve Sutherland continues to oversee all aspects of the global organisation and its divisions to achieve long-range goals. Steve Sutherland and Tom Jingoli are both long-time members on Konami Gaming’s Board of Directors.
The post Konami Promotes Tom Jingoli to President and COO appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Victorian venues are putting young people at risk when they turn a blind eye to, or otherwise fail to prevent, minors entering poker machine areas, according to Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) CEO Suzy Neilan.
Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) was fined $38,000 without conviction in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria for offences involving 3 minors at 3 venues on 4 dates in 2024.
ALH pleaded guilty to 6 charges, having self-reported the breaches to the VGCCC, which Ms Neilan said was important to recognise as a positive step towards improving industry practices.
“Being accountable for wrongdoing demonstrates integrity, which has been a focus of the VGCCC’s ongoing work with gambling operators,” she said.
“But it’s not enough to own up after the fact. Venues must be proactive about ensuring that minors do not access poker machine areas by ensuring they have in place appropriate systems, processes and staff.
“Operators should undertake a risk assessment and put in place controls to prevent minors from entering gambling areas. Some examples of controls could include displaying clear signage that the poker machine room is for adults only and checking the identification of anyone who appears under 25 years of age.”
Ms Neilan said it was not acceptable that any Victorian clubs and hotels – in this case, the Cramers and Excelsior hotels – were repeat offenders.
A 17-year-old was able to enter the poker machine area of Cramers Hotel in Preston multiple times without having to show ID, despite several interactions with staff and visits to the poker machine area on 24 January 2024. Staff intervened on 25 January 2024 only after the underage teen placed his belongings next to a poker machine.
Separately, a child in the company of 2 adults entered the poker machine area of the Excelsior Hotel in Thomastown on 24 April 2024. The child, who was seated with one of the adults, pressed buttons on the poker machine before they were both escorted from the area.
And on 27 September 2024, a 14-year-old boy entered the poker machine room of the Mountain View Hotel in Glen Waverley and gambled on a poker machine before staff intervened.
Ms Neilan said the VGCCC would continue to be vigilant about prosecuting venues for allowing minors to access the gambling areas of their premises, but that “prevention is better than cure”.
“I encourage all hotels and clubs to review their operations, including staff training, and consider making any adjustments required to ensure compliance with the law.”
In addition to the fine, the Magistrate ordered ALH to pay VGCCC’s legal costs of $40,000. The Magistrate also noted that but for the guilty plea, he would have fined ALH $90,000 and recorded a criminal conviction.
Summary of charges:
Incident 1 – Cramers Hotel:
Charge 1: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area
Charge 2: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble
Incident 2 – Excelsior Hotel:
Charge 3: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area
Charge 4: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble
Incident 3 – Mountain View Hotel:
Charge 5: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area
Charge 6: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble.
The post VGCCC: Minors Exposed to Gambling at ALH Venues appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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