The Government will enforce a zero tolerance approach to casino, club and hotel operators who are found to be allowing patrons to gamble who have previously asked to be excluded. Additionally, all venues with gaming machines will now be required to correlate their database of excluded patrons with their promotions and rewards databases, to ensure that excluded persons do not receive advertising and promotional material from the gaming venue. 

The Government has also announced the introduction of gambling requirements similar to the Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) provisions. This will make Responsible Service of Gambling (RSG) training mandatory for venue employees with direct responsibility for gaming, including Client Liaison Officers. This furthers the objectives of the Responsible Gambling Industry Training Kit previously distributed by the Queensland Office of Gaming Regulation. The possibility of an integrated RSA and RSG course is currently being investigated.

In recognition of the changing nature of the Queensland gambling environment, QOGR is undertaking an evaluation of the Strategy. This evaluation will examine the performance and effectiveness of the Strategy, and the ongoing relevance of its content, structure and vision. The evaluation will also look at revising the Strategy to better reflect current social, environmental and technological changes, and align with contemporary public health approaches to responsible gambling. Such revisions will help to ensure that the Queensland government maintains a robust and innovative Strategy that continues to address the adverse impacts of gambling on individuals, families and communities.

While the evaluation of the Strategy will be informed by various research methodologies, the most significant is the opportunity to engage with stakeholders throughout Queensland. A Discussion Paper has been developed to facilitate consultations which can be downloaded from the Responsible Gambling website on <www.responsiblegambling.qld.gov.au/about-us/govt-strategy-policy/evaluation/index.shtml>.

QOGR is seeking feedback and comments on the evaluation from industry participants.

Another initiative relates to the hours of machine gaming. The Government will amend the Gaming Machine Regulation 2002 to prohibit machine gaming before 10.00am.

A number of other aspects of the gaming machine industry will be examined.  A trial of pre-commitment card based gaming technology is currently being conducted to investigate changes in a patron’s gambling activities and behaviour while using the card based system. The system allows players to set the maximum amount they are willing to spend per day, a limit on the amount of money that can be transferred from their card to the gaming machine per session, and the maximum card amount. 

Additionally, an examination of withdrawal limits for ATMs at venues will be undertaken, and an investigation of spin rates (the rate at which a gaming machine recovers after a play) will be conducted to ensure that Queensland remains in line with other jurisdictions.

The Premier and Treasurer announced the government's final proposals on liquor reforms in Queensland on Thursday 17 April 2008. For more information, visit the Liquor Licensing Division website here.