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Updated ,first published
A 16-year-old boy whose entry into Sydney’s casinos resulted in those venues incurring millions of dollars in fines also gambled at pubs and clubs that have not been penalised, partly due to the difficulty in proving offences at venues that do not use carded technology.
The NSW Independent Casino Commission last month issued a $1.75 million fine to Crown Sydney, where the teen gained entry on 19 separate occasions, drank complimentary alcohol and attained silver membership status. Star Sydney, which he visited three times, was fined $500,000.
Liquor & Gaming NSW executive director Dimitri Agreres described the breach by the casinos as “unacceptable” when it was disclosed to the public on August 19.
But five other clubs and two hotels that the boy also visited were unaware that he had gambled on poker machines or in cash poker tournaments on their premises until questioned by the Herald last week. His name remains on the poker tournament leaderboards at two north shore clubs.
The boy used a sophisticated fake driver’s licence to gamble at multiple Sydney venues until The Star detected his presence last year. Both casinos self-reported to L&GNSW.
The teenager later told the agency that he had also gambled at other venues including Club Mosman, Chatswood RSL, the Builder’s Club, Norths Cammeray, Monkey Bar in Chatswood, Minskys in Cremorne and The Sands at Narrabeen.
L&GNSW investigators issued “notices to produce” to the casinos and prepared a complaint for the casino regulator, but did not pursue allegations that he had also visited pubs and clubs.
Contacted by the Herald, L&GNSW said it was making inquiries regarding the non-casino venues and declined to make further comment while these were ongoing.
Without specified times, dates and amounts gambled, the agency will have to consider the costs and benefits of pursuing disclosures about the non-casino venues.
Casino patrons in NSW are required to play with membership cards that enable authorities to confirm their identities and trace their funds if red flags are raised, but there is no such requirement for clubs and pubs. The agency would have to review copious reams of CCTV footage, which may not have been retained so long after the event.
Carded play was mandated on NSW casinos after two inquiries found evidence that criminal networks were using them for money laundering, by disguising the proceeds of crime as gambling winnings. Players must show identification documents to set up an account, and authorities can then track the amounts individual players wager.
Players can also set spending limits on their accounts to minimise losses.
But the NSW government has stopped short of imposing carded play on the state’s clubs and pubs. A gambling reform package unveiled last week includes upgrading the technology to allow for carded play, but it will not be mandatory.
The clubs named by the boy referred questions to their industry lobby group Clubs NSW, and the story was then leaked to a rival news organisation inside the Herald’s deadline for a response. The chief executive of Club Mosman told the news outlet that the matter highlighted how difficult it was to detect underage patrons using fake identification produced by criminal networks and able to pass digital scanners.
Clubs NSW said it would welcome stronger action on those manufacturing and supplying fake IDs “which are designed to evade detection and undermine existing safeguards”. The law recognised that venues should not be penalised if a minor had gained entry using a convincing fake ID, and they had taken reasonable steps to verify that person’s age and identity, a spokeswoman said.
Monkey Bar declined to comment.
Minors are permitted to enter registered clubs and pubs if they are being supervised by a responsible adult, though not to enter gambling areas or enter cash poker tournaments. All adults must provide identification to enter licensed clubs, either by becoming a member or signing in as a visitor.
A Crown spokesperson has previously said that the boy’s mother accompanied him to the casino on some occasions.
The boy has been banned from entering a casino for five years after he turns 18.
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