Victoria Gambling Commission’s Underage Gambling Crackdown Continues

The Victoria Gambling and Casino Control Commission has successfully prosecuted its third venue this year for breaching rules and regulations surrounding underage gambling.

On 10 June 2023, a child entered the Peninsula Club’s gambling area twice and used the poker machines. The second offense saw the child use the poker machine for approximately five minutes with adults until staff intervened.

Peninsula Club’s Fine: A Warning Shot to All Victoria Gambling Venues

The regulatory body announced the charge soon after the results of its most extensive investigation into underage gambling where it leveraged 98 charges and dished out nearly AUD$500,000 in fines.

Australian gambling giant Tabcorp was found to have breached rules 43 times, amassing total fines of AUD $274,000.

The Magistrates’ Court of Victoria levied a fine of $7,000 for two breaches of the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 on the Victorian Amateur Turf Club, the venue owner. It was also ordered to pay $3,500 in costs to the VGCCC.

Annette Kimmitt, Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission CEO said, “This is a warning to every venue. 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. Research tells us people who begin gambling at a young age are at greater risk of developing gambling problems as an adult,” she continued.

Magistrate Ayres, who oversaw the case, considered the venue’s self-reporting of its breaches, lack of prior convictions, early plea, and retrospective remediations implemented when deciding on a suitable punishment.

Kimmitt concluded: “These rules exist to protect children from exposure to, and harm from, gambling.”

The two other prosecutions thus far by the VGCCC in 2025 were:

• A $3,000 fine was issued to Correct Bet Pty Ltd, the operator of Coburg TAB, for allowing a minor to gamble.
• After pleading guilty to three counts of breaching the Gambling Regulation Act, The Supreme Edinburgh Pty Ltd, trading as the Duke of Edinburgh, was awarded a $2,500 fine.

The regulator in Victoria has placed heavy emphasis on tackling brick-and-mortar venues which have allowed minors to enter gambling areas, or gamble on machines.

From Loot Boxes to Crypto: The Digital Threat to Underage Gambling

While Kimmitt rightly suggests children’s exposure to gambling from a young age can later lead to related harms, experts advise the widespread exposure to gambling digitally poses a far more significant threat.

Video and mobile games often have embedded loot box mechanics, which often resemble slots. Various academic studies have found that many widely available and downloaded games and apps do not disclose probabilities or make users aware of the random reward system.

As proven by channel-shift globally, minors are digitally capable and moving to digital mediums in all walks of life. Crypto sportsbooks and iGaming, plus other online methods of gambling, pose more significant risk to minors should regulations not be followed.