Gaming room hours limited

PUBS and clubs across Victoria will be forced to close their gaming rooms between the hours of 4am and 10am seven days a week from 30 August, in a State Government bid to provide more safeguards for problem gamblers.

It’s thought that those who play the pokies between these hours are some of the most vulnerable to experiencing harm from gambling, and the move addresses evidence that some venues had been staggering opening hours to encourage patrons to move between locations.

Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Melissa Horne said Victoria’s enforcement of gaming room closure times will protect this section of the community.

“Providing people with a break in play is an important gambling harm prevention measure – it gives people a chance to step out of the zone and consider how much time and money they’re willing to lose,” she said.

The introduction of mandatory closure times follows the State Government’s commitment last year to provide Victorians with the strongest gambling harm protections in the country.

These include compulsory pre-commitment limits and carded play for all electronic gaming machines, capped load up limits of $100 and a slowing of spin rates.

The State Government allocated $165.6 million in this year’s budget for the delivery of Gambler’s Help services, community education campaigns and research.

According to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, $1.55 billion was lost in Victoria at the pokies between 1 July and 31 December 2023.