Counsel assisting the inquiry Adrian Finanzio,SC,asked Crown’s general manager of responsible gaming Sonja Bauer whether it was the case that many people gambling at Crown had YourPlay limits that are “just wildly unrealistic”.
“I understand that may be the case,yes,” she responded,adding that Crown staff encouraged patrons to set more “realistic” limits.
While the scheme’s median loss limit clocks in at $50,000,the inquiry was told that the most commonly chosen limit was $1 million per day.
YourPlay cards are voluntary for most poker machines across Victoria but at Crown they can be used to unlock up to 1000 “unrestricted” machines so they operate without legal bet and spin-time limits designed to reduce gambling harm.
YourPlay players are notified on their machine when they reach a daily limit but can ignore that alert and continue playing,the inquiry heard. Ms Bauer said it “could be a benefit” if the relevant state law was changed so Crown staff could also be notified and then possibly intervene.
Crown Melbourne made $426 million from poker machine payers in 2019,according to its corporate reports. Ms Bauer said it was possible Crown’s unrestricted machines were more profitable than standard machines but declined to say so definitively.