JUE 28 DE MARZO DE 2024 - 18:44hs.
In Australia

Crown and Aristocrat to face lawsuit over “deceptive” slot

Australian gaming giants Aristocrat Leisure and Crown Resorts are at the center of a landmark court case with a former gambling addict alleging they indulged in “unconscionable conduct” that was “misleading and deceptive.”

Australian slot giant Aristocrat Leisure has been dragged into what has been described as a landmark case as it is the Aristocrat slot machine Dolphin Treasure that problem gambler Shonica Guy slammed as being designed to mislead with its paytable. She wants the slot machine banned from slot floors in Australia.

Guy, who said she lost 14 years of her life to pokie machines, said: "This case is not about seeking compensation for what I lost. I just want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else. What I want this case to show is that the industry knows their machines are addictive and design these machines to get us hooked. I’m looking forward to having my day in court to fight for honesty and fairness in the pokies industry.”

Crown said in a statement: "Crown will vigorously defend any claim.”

Aristocrat said it ‘emphatically rejects any suggestion that its games are designed to encourage problem gambling.’

Neil Young QC for Crown added that Crown and the Dolphin Treasure slot machine software and display are all regulated by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.

Ross Ferrar, Chief Executive of The Gaming Technologies Association, said Australia "has one of the most stringent regulatory environments for poker machines in the world.”

"Regulators impose comprehensive conditions on every aspect of poker machine design and operation. Poker machines are designed to be entertaining and are a legitimate recreational activity that many Australians enjoy responsibly. These standards include requirements that gaming machines not give a player a false expectation of odds, they must accurately display the result of a game outcome and not be misleading, illusory or deceptive,” Ferrar added.

"Every aspect of poker machines operation is governed by stringent legislation, regulations and standards to ensure integrity and fairness and that strict oversight is maintained through the life of the machine,” Ferrar concluded.

Source: GMB / G3 Newswire