Victoria's gambling watchdog opted to formally censure Crown on Tuesday for breaching pre-commitment requirements at its lucrative Melbourne casino.
Twenty-two gamblers were able to continue playing a poker machine after reaching their nominated time or spend limit from December 2023 to July 21, 2024.
Another 10 gambled on casino poker machines from late December 2023 to early August 2024 by using a card linked to an account that was not in their legal name.
Carded play and pre-commitments were made mandatory across all pokies at the Southbank casino in December 2023 after a state royal commission found it responsible for "illegal, dishonest, unethical and exploitative" conduct in 2021.
Under the system, customers cannot use a machine for either 24 hours or seven days after their limit is reached.
Pre-commitment programs empowered people to manage their gambling by making decisions before they started gambling, Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission chair Chris O'Neill said.
The regulator considered Crown's co-operation with the investigation, evidence the breaches were "isolated" and remedial efforts in deciding to censure the business.
"This reprimand is now on Crown's record, and we will not hesitate to take more serious disciplinary action in the future, should similar or further breaches occur," Mr O'Neill said.
The company has since tightened access controls, introduced automated safeguards and welfare checks and provided additional training to more than 200 staff.
"The small number of inadvertent errors in the initial rollout of this world-first safe gaming initiative were isolated, promptly self-reported and addressed through rigorous remediation measures," a Crown spokeswoman said.
Crown was sold by Australian billionaire James Packer to private equity firm Blackstone in a $8.9 billion deal approved in June 2022.
The company held onto its Melbourne casino licence in a decision from the Victorian regulator in 2024 after it was given two years to reform under the oversight of a special monitor.
No one has faced criminal charges but the business was collectively fined $700 million for multiple breaches.
National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858
15°C