The Victorian Amateur Turf Club, which owns the Peninsula Club, has been slapped with a $7,000 fine for five breaches of the Victorian Gambling Regulation Act 2003.
The Magistrates’ Court of Victoria also ordered the club to pay Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) costs of $3,500. No conviction was recorded, however.
The fine follows the VGCCC’s successful prosecution of the Peninsula Club in Dromana. A child was found to have entered the club’s gambling area twice on 10 June 2023 and used the poker machines on both occasions. During the second visit, the child, who was with adults at the time, played a poker machine for approximately five minutes before staff intervened.
Magistrate Ayres took into account the venue’s self-reporting, lack of prior convictions, early guilty plea, and the steps it has since taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“This is a warning to every venue,” VGCCC CEO Annette Kimmitt said.
“The onus is on you to ensure that children cannot and do not enter the gambling area or participate in any gambling activity, even if they’re with an adult.
“Equally, staff must be adequately trained and present in the gambling area to supervise while machines are in use.
It comes as the VGCCC continues to crack down on venues that allow children to enter poker machine areas.
The regulator wrapped up the most comprehensive investigation of underage gambling at the end of last month. It carried out more than 2,000 hours of investigations, which culminated in 14 prosecutions against 10 entities, 98 charges and fines totalling half-a-million dollars. One of the venues caught out was The Brunswick Club.
“Research tells us that people who begin gambling at a young age are at greater risk of developing gambling problems as an adult,” Kimmitt said.
“The rules exist to protect children from exposure to, and harm from, gambling.”