Casino Control and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023
Plain English Summary
Overview
This bill overhauls Queensland's casino regulation following the Gotterson Review, which found money laundering, anti-money laundering failures, and links to organised crime at Star Entertainment Group's Queensland casinos. It introduces mandatory identity-linked player cards, cash transaction limits, binding gambling pre-commitment systems, a new supervision levy, five-yearly suitability reviews, and strengthened powers to exclude persons banned from interstate casinos.
Who it affects
Casino patrons will need identity-linked player cards and must set binding spending and time limits. Casino operators face a new supervision levy, much higher penalties, mandatory suitability reviews, and costly new technology requirements. Casino executives face personal duties with penalties up to 1,000 penalty units.
Key changes
- Casino patrons will need identity-linked player cards to gamble and must set binding loss, spend, and time limits under a mandatory pre-commitment system
- Cash transactions in casinos will be capped (expected at $1,000 per person per 24 hours) to combat money laundering
- A new annual supervision levy replaces the quarterly licence fee, funding casino regulation and gambling harm reduction programs
- Casinos must undergo mandatory five-yearly suitability reviews with commission of inquiry powers, at the casino's cost
- Persons excluded from interstate casinos by police commissioners must be excluded from all Queensland casinos
- Officers of casino operators face a new personal duty to ensure lawful operations and a compliant corporate culture, with a maximum penalty of 1,000 penalty units (about $154,800)
- Penalties increased across more than 60 offences, with some rising from 40 to 1,000 penalty units
- The term 'problem gambler' is replaced with 'person experiencing harm from gambling' across six gambling Acts and regulations
- Casino operators are banned from sending promotional material without express consent and cannot require consent as a condition of getting a player card
Bill Story
The journey of this bill through Parliament, including debate and recorded votes.
▸Committee25 Oct 2023View Hansard
Referred to Legal Affairs and Safety Committee
▸Second Reading19 Mar 2024 – 20 Mar 2024View Hansard
▸10 members spoke5 support5 mixed
Acknowledged gambling addiction is a serious issue but expressed significant concerns about the bill's mandatory carded play system, arguing it represents over-regulation and poses privacy and civil liberties risks through data collection.
“There is absolutely no reason to put someone in a database like this. People are put in a database because they are a criminal.”— 2024-03-20View Hansard
As Attorney-General, moved the second reading and outlined the bill's implementation of the remaining 11 Gotterson review recommendations including mandatory carded play, cashless gambling limits, precommitment systems, and a supervision levy on casino licensees.
“This bill introduces some ambitious reforms, but they are needed to: prevent criminal influence and infiltration in Queensland casinos; ensure that the failures of Star are not repeated again; and protect consumers and further minimise the potential for gambling harm.”— 2024-03-19View Hansard
Strongly supported the bill's gambling harm minimisation reforms, citing Australia's status as the world's highest per capita gambling losses and praising the mandatory carded play, precommitment and friction-based harm reduction measures.
“It is only a Labor government that is willing and able to take on gambling reform in Queensland.”— 2024-03-20View Hansard
Did not oppose the bill but heavily criticised the government for delays in implementing the Gotterson review, the narrow terms of reference that limited the inquiry, the lack of transparency around Star's remediation plan, and the Auditor-General's finding that only 0.62% of gambling revenue was spent on harm minimisation.
“The whole sorry saga has been characterised by delay and incompetence by this government.”— 2024-03-19View Hansard
Did not oppose the bill's reforms but was highly critical of the government's delayed action on casino regulation, the limited terms of reference of the Gotterson review, and the Attorney-General's oversight of the regulatory environment.
“This government turned a blind eye to all of it for too long.”— 2024-03-20View Hansard
Supported the bill's implementation of the Gotterson review recommendations, highlighting the importance of mandatory carded play, data collection for harm minimisation research, and a mandatory code of conduct replacing the voluntary system.
“The committee believes that the bill strikes the right balance between the protection of a player's personal information and upholding the public good that can be achieved when the information is shared to disrupt crime or carry out important research.”— 2024-03-19View Hansard
Defended the government's record on casino regulation and harm minimisation, noting the reforms are among the most significant steps taken to reduce gambling harm in any Australian jurisdiction, and highlighted the flexible regulation-based approach.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the reforms presented in this bill are among the most significant steps taken to reduce gambling harm in any jurisdiction in this country in the history of gambling regulation.”— 2024-03-20View Hansard
Stated the LNP would not oppose the bill but criticised the government for extensive delays, the narrow Gotterson review terms of reference that prevented examination of the regulator and government-casino relationships, and the Auditor-General's findings on inadequate harm minimisation spending.
“We in the LNP will always support any measure to reduce gambling harm and therefore those elements of the bill are something that we should all embrace and work together on.”— 2024-03-19View Hansard
As a committee member, supported the bill's reforms including mandatory carded play, precommitment limits, play and break limits, and a mandatory code of conduct, noting that self-regulation was insufficient for the casino industry.
“A code of conduct will hold casinos to a standard that they very clearly need to be held to.”— 2024-03-19View Hansard
Acknowledged the need for casino reform following the Gotterson review but raised serious concerns about the privacy implications of mandatory carded play and cashless gambling, describing them as a threat to personal autonomy and financial privacy.
“These types of government-run income management programs set a dangerous precedent for the future of privacy and financial autonomy in Queensland.”— 2024-03-19View Hansard