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AAP
AAP
Lifestyle
Cassandra Morgan

Crown Casino directed to enforce gambling breaks

Melbourne's Crown Casino will be obliged to stop people gambling for more than 12 hours in a day. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Visitors to Melbourne's Crown Casino will be stopped from gambling for more than 36 hours a week under rules designed to tackle gambling harm.

People who gamble for 12 hours in a single 24-hour period will have to take a 24-hour break under updates to the casino's code of conduct, which the government has given Crown six months to include.

Casino, Gambling and Liquor Regulation Minister Melissa Horne on Monday announced she directed Crown to add the protections in a bid to stop problem gambling.

Crown faces penalties of up to $100 million if it breaches a direction.

"This direction reflects my expectations that Crown must aim to be a global leader in the reduction of gambling harm - or lose their license," Ms Horne said.

"Crown is on track to implement mandatory pre-commitment in all electronic gaming machines by the end of this year.

"When combined with the strengthened code of conduct, the harm reduction protections will be world leading for a casino of this size."

The code requires Crown to enforce 15-minute breaks for people gambling for three consecutive hours.

Crown Melbourne has worked with the Victorian government on the reforms, which will put the company on a path to industry best practice and prevent gambling harm, chief executive Mike Volkert said.

"This work builds on our whole-of-company transformation that has been underway for more than 18 months, as we continue to build a Crown that exceeds the expectations of our stakeholders and communities," Mr Volkert said.

"This includes the implementation of our new and enhanced approach to responsible gambling which aims to bring about a healthier, safer gambling culture for all."

Crown Melbourne has bolstered its responsible gambling staffing levels by almost 80 per cent in the past 18 months.

The direction implements a recommendation from a damning 2021 royal commission, which found the Southbank casino breached its code of conduct for the responsible service of gambling over about 12 years.

The commission imposed the maximum penalty of $100 million for allowing patrons to gamble for upwards of 24 hours without a break.

The direction also includes further guidance for staff about how and when they should intervene when gamblers show signs of harm, the government said.

Ms Horne has also gazetted another direction, which requires gambling advertisers to replace the "gamble responsibly" tagline with others including: "Chances are, you're about to lose", and, "You win some. You lose more".

The new taglines are evidence-based and will be accompanied by information encouraging people to seek help.

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