A female gambler was allowed to gamble at Crown Melbourne for 96 hours straight, stopping only for short naps while seated at slot machines, according to evidence tendered at Victoria’s Royal Commission into Crown Resorts.
As per a report by the Australian Financial Review, testimony was provided by the woman’s social worker at a private hearing in May with the media outlet now given permission to report on its contents provided it doesn’t disclose any identities.
It is alleged that the woman in question, a married doctor with a known gambling problem, had remained on the Crown Melbourne casino floor for four days straight playing baccarat but was never stopped or checked on by Crown employees.
The issue of how Crown Melbourne handles problem gambling is a major focus of the Victorian Royal Commission this week, with evidence also showing that Crown employed just 12 responsible gaming staff to oversee the entire property.
According to testimony provided in May, the social worker had regularly visited Crown Melbourne to observe patrons and often saw people showing “observable signs” of distress such as sleeping or crying at slot machines.
Asked by counsel if she had witnessed Crown staff regularly stopping to check on such people, the social worker replied, “I’ve never seen that before, and I’ve never heard that before.
“I have seen people crying on their phone and I have seen staff walking by without approaching them and I’ve seen a lot of people sleeping right in front of the pokie (slot) machines.”
The Victorian Royal Commission, which was recently granted more time and funding to complete its inquiries, is examining whether Crown Resorts is fit to hold a Victorian casino licence for its flagship business, Crown Melbourne, which opened in 1994.
