Each hotel website is intended to inform about the responsible gaming practices in place at that venue. The standards for these practices are sourced from Mr. Luscombe's statement, legal requirements and other considerations.

Every hotel web page is a wiki that you can modify or add to. PokeyWatch.org has a suggested check list of things to look for which you can access here.
This is not an exhaustive list of everything one might know about each venue. Nor should the information on this site be considered accurate. There is a lot of information gathered here and there will be factual mistakes on PokieWatch.org.
Our policy is to immediately remove any inaccurate or defamatory material brought to our attention and publicly acknowledge and correct all our mistakes. If you believe you've been defamed by anything on PokieWatch.org, email PokieWatch@yahoo.com. Please read the PokieWatch.org user agreement
On PokieWatch.org, you can add to the list of things you think everyone should know. You can correct mistakes. You can add other venues. You can update on venues already watched. For example, there has been no count of information brochures. While all pokies have digital time built in, does the gaming area have a wall clock? Nor has PokieWatch.org tested the check cashing rules or self-exclusion practices. There are certain to be things we missed.
Because more knowledge is likely to build more accurate knowledge, the important thing is to report your own findings on PokieWatch.org.
To access the PokeyWatch.org suggested check list of things to look for click here.

Name, Address and Telephone Number

The name and address of the venue is sourced from the VCGR website. The name stated on each page may change if a different name is used at the venue itself. PokieWatch welcomes additional inspections. It should be easy to find all the venues.

Number of Poker Machines

This information is sourced from the VCGR website. Responsible gaming practices should be the same whether the venue has 25 or 105 pokies installed at the venue.

City or Shire Details

The VCGR assembles statistical information based upon the city or shire in which the gaming venue is located. Recording the city or shire will make it easier to access this information.

The role of the local council is important. In December 2007 the Victorian government issued a progress report on Taking Action on Problem Gambling (you can download it here) where it was reported on page 25 that

"on 18 October 2006, the Minister for Planning amended the Victoria Planning Provisions in order to give local councils greater control over the placement of gaming machines in their municipalities. Previously venue operators did not require a planning permit if gaming machines took up less than 25 per cent of the venue’s total floor space. These new amendments mean that a council planning permit is now required for any new gaming venue or any increase in the number of gaming machines at an existing venue. This gives local councils a greater say in the placement of gaming machines in their communities. In response to these changes, local councils now need to develop their own gambling policy and planning frameworks..."

Knowing the municipal district is vital for a third reason. Whether the net economic and social impact of gaming licenses approval will not be detrimental to the well being of the community of the municipal district in which a gaming venue is located is a key finding that has to be made by the VCGR in certain licensing matters. The VGCR is required to look into this. For full details read the 19 March 2008 decision by the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria which can be found here.

Who is the Gaming Operator?

There are, at present, two gaming operators in Victoria; Tabcorp Limited and Tattersall's Limited. These companies are required to ensure that poker machine gaming is being operated responsibly. Here are links to Tabcorp's web page and Tattersall's web page on responsible gaming where you can find their latest information on their own self regulation practices.

ALE 2006 Property Valuation

In many cases, the real estate of the hotel is owned by ALE Property Group (ALE). On the ALE web site it states that ALE leases these sites

"to Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group Limited (ALH) Additionally, ALH:

• are owned by a joint venture (ALH Group)
• ALH Group is 75% controlled by Woolworths Limited, Australia's leading retailer. The balance is held by the Bruce Mathieson Group, a leading hotelier.
• ALH Group through its ownership of ALH, MGW, BMG and Taverner is Australia's leading pub operator
• Woolworths are Australia's leading liquor retailer. Its operations include Woolworths Liquor, Dan Murphy and BWS

Most of the pubs in the portfolio are leased for an initial term of up to 25 years expiring between 2028 and 2030."

Although dated, the valuation of these premises provides perspective as to value of pokies gambling and other activities at these premises.

Hotel Website

The hotel web site indicates how the hotel promotes itself to the public.

Community Benefit Statements

Although recent legislation lifted the requirement for hotels to lodge community benefit statements with the VCGR; examination of these forms will disclose past practices by each venue in supporting the local community. The hotel venue operator had been required to report upon:

	Gifts of funds from gaming revenue,
	Sponsorships from gaming revenue
	Gifts of goods to the community, paid for from gaming revenue,
	Voluntary services provided to the community,
	Expenses claims paid or reimbursed to volunteers,
	Activities subsidised using gaming revenue, where the venue provides a commercial service to members of the community at less than commercial rates

In nearly every case, there has been no report of donation of any money in any of these categories for any of these pokies venues.

Date of Inspection

It is the essence of this web site that users are encouraged to conduct their own observations and add their own reports to Pokiewatch.org. This includes representatives of the venue and gaming operators. It is likely that the more reports provided the more likely the accuracy. It is hoped that clubs and other hotel venues will be included.
The date of inspection should be noted in every case. It may well be that the gaming environment changes subsequent to the inspection.
Users of this website should note that there is no representation of accuracy as to any reports.

Talker sign on each pokie

The legal requirements for these signs are set out in Part 3 of the Gambling Regulation Regulations.
Mr. Luscombe statement of Safeway / Woolworths' practices is:

"On all of our gaming machines there are signs talking about the fact that you cannot win on those machines, right in front of the face of that area."

The area of focus for gamblers is the animated reels on the video face. That is the only area that could be reasonably interpreted as being 'right in front' and therefore placement in that area has been interpreted as complying with Mr. Luscombe's stated standards. At the very least, the sign should fully intersect with the video space where the gambler's credit or winnings are is shown.
The references to "Top Box" comes from Schedule 1 of Gambling Regulation Regulations 2005.

Visibility and Distance of ATM from Gaming Room

There are both codes of conduct and laws governing ATM machines.
Paragraph 2.2.3 of the Australian Gaming Council's Responsible gaming code issued in September 2001 provided that:

"Gaming venue operators will phase in measures to ensure that ATMs are not visible to any customer playing an EGM."

Paragraph 5.6 of Tabcorp's Responsible Gaming Code of Practice provides:

"We require that ATMs at venues

• are not located within designated gaming areas
• are not visible to a customer playing a gaming machine; and
• have on or near them information on who to contact, should assistance be required for a gambling related problem"

Section 3.5.32A(1) of the Gambling Legislation Amendment (Problem Gambling and Other Measures) Act 2007 provides:

"A venue operator must not provide, or allow another person to provide, an automatic teller machine in a gaming machine area"

Mr. Luscombe stated:

"We don’t have ATMs in our gaming areas."

The PokeyWatch.org inquiry with respect to ATMs measures reality. How easy is it for a gambler to get more money from an ATM?

• While not in the same room, really, how far away are the ATMs from the nearest pokey?
• Do all pokeypokie gamblers have to pass right by the ATM on the way to the gaming room? This way the gamblers know where they are.
• Despite the statement of self regulation, can gamblers see the ATM while playing the pokies?
• Are all machines labelled with gambler's assistance notices?

Visible posting of availability of Self-Exclusion facilities

Mr. Luscombe stated:

"We do have facilities for self barring in all of our hotels."

The ALH Gaming Code of Practice and Responsible Gaming states:

"We have developed a responsible service of gaming and program, which includes;

• staff training in the responsible service of gaming
• the prominent display of problem gambling help services and support material
• assistance to patrons who approach staff for help
• self-exclusion program for patrons who want to address gambling problems"

The seriousness of the commitment to self-exclusion programs is tested as to whether its availability is visibly promoted in the gaming area.

Number of Player Information Posters

Section 16 of the Gambling Regulation Regulations 2005 set out the requirements for the display of information posters.
An attempt was made to count the posters in each venue. In some instances posters, were observed grouped together or, placed in corners, dark walls or close to the floor or close to the ceiling.

Eating in Gaming Room

Mr. Luscombe stated:

"We don’t allow people to eat in those areas."

The commitment to this undertaking can be ascertained by whether there were food menus in the gaming areas and whether people were observed eating in these areas. The placement of tables and chairs within the gaming areas would also be material.

Coffee / Tea service in Gaming Room

Woolworths operates gaming venues in Queensland where one of the features of a responsible gaming venue is that:

"Tea and coffee facilities should be located away from the gaming machines."

These criterion can be found here on a web site of the Queensland government.

The commitment to these responsible gambling practices irregardless of government policy can be tested by observing the availability of these facilities in Victorian gaming areas. Provision of free coffee facilities was also observed. In other words, does Woolworths only observe best practices where it is required to do so?

Visibility from Bistro Area

This criterion flows from Mr. Luscombe's commitment at the shareholders meeting that Woolworths does not allow people to eat in gaming areas. If the bistro area was visually and audibly a part of the gaming room, then even though technically seperate, eating in the bistro would be, in reality, the same as eating in the gaming area.

At the Woolworths Limited annual general meeting of 24 November 2006, Mr. Luscombe stated as follows:

"Our aim is to create centres of family entertainment; one where families would be happy to bring their children along for a Sunday lunch. And having visited many of the hotels that have been refurbished and knowing them in their past life and seeing them in their new life and seeing clientele that we have after refurbishing it, I have no doubt we are well and truly on the way to achieving this goal"

Click on the video symbol below to hear Mr. Luscombe's statement in its context of his opening address to that meeting. It should be noted that Woolworths operates pokie hotels in New South Wales and Queensland and his statement about the refurbishment progress may be directed towards those venues rather than Victorian venues.

The creation of family entertainment should not simply be the building of an exercise area, cheap meals for kids or the provision of free video games. There is a responsibility to create an environment that is suitable for children. Pokie gambling is, without question, an adult entertainment. The same applies to alcohol consumption and TAB and KENO betting. This raises the issue of young children being visually and audibly exposed to pokie and other forms of gambling at an impressionable age. Some thought might also be given to the types of video games and coin operated games installed in the areas used by children. It is reasonable to expect that the venue is not promoting the provision of children's entertainment to enable gamblers to play the pokies while their kids are somehow being 'minded'.

Kid's Play Areas

The Victorian state government publication on Problem Gambling: A Guide for Schools states that adolescents "are uniquely vulnerable to the development of disordered gambling behaviours." (Page 37). It is expected that venue operators will be particularly sensitive to this vulnerability and minimize visual and audible exposure of children to pokies in the play areas.

Does the hotel provide these facilities? How close are they to the gaming area? Can children look into the gaming area from the play area? Do they pass by the pokie area on their way to the play area? Are kids being enticed to exposure to the hotel pokies by offers of free meals or kid orientated entertainment? Are the meals nutritionally sound for children?

Do not leave children in vehicle signs/notices

Signs have been placed either in the car park or the entrances to these hotels waring against leaving children in cars.
There does not seem to be any legal requirement for these signs to be erected. It appears to be a Tabcorp and Tattersall's requirement. It may that due to the compelling nature of problem poker machine gambling that pokie gamblers are more likely than others to leave children unattended in their cars.
Clicking on the picture links to the web site of Kidsafe Victoria where information is provided on the dangers of leaving children in cars.

Posters in Gaming Rooms

The Queensland Government provides information to the its community by asking the question "Is your local venue committed to responsible gambling. Access this document by clicking here. In that document it mentions that:

" If your venue is committed to responsible gambling then you should expect that:

• Gambling activities will not dominate advertisements or promotion, especially where there are other activities to promote.
• Advertising won't use pharses such as 'always win with us" or "this is a lucky venue"...."

Woolworths is associated with hotels that have pokies in Queensland and should be familiar with this document. PokieWatch.org inspections therefore have regard to whether similiarly associated venues meet the same standards in Victoria. Observations can be made as to gaming room located promotions for other activities in the hotel. Signs that promote past winnings at the venue should also be noted as they may imply that it is somehow a "lucky" venue.

Gambler's Help posters and cards in the toilet

It had been suggested that an effective means of potential problem gamblers to seek help is to provide cards in a private place in the venue. In this way, they could relatively anonymously identify the way to get help without a more public acknowledgement of their potential problem. All inspections conducted from late August 2008 will note the placement of posters and cards in the venue toilets.

General comments and photographs

This information is intended to give a general sense about the hotel. It is the appropriate place to express opinions based upon actual inspections.
The exterior photographs provide an impression of how the venue presents itself to the public. Frequently there is advertising on the exterior of the building in addition to road signage.