The ACT's gaming reform minister is to question the Hellenic Club about the appearance of a new ATM opposite its Woden building. Her concern is that it makes access to cash by problem gamblers too easy.
Last year, the club was fined $1.2 million for, among other things, allowing multiple cash withdrawals in quick succession by a troubled couple from an eftpos machine inside its premises.
"Over the past few weeks, some constituents raised with me some serious concerns that they have about an ATM that suddenly appeared across the road from the club. This is an extremely odd place to have an ATM. No shops, no restaurants. The garden bed has been carved out," the minister, Marisa Paterson, said in a Facebook video.
There's no suggestion the Hellenic Club was involved in the siting of the new cash machine but the concern is the proximity of it to the club and its poker machines.
"As the Minister for Gambling Reform and an advocate for reducing gambling harm, I have a lot of questions and concerns, and constituents do too, about the location of this ATM, which I will be raising with the Hellenic Club," Dr Paterson said.
She has written to the Hellenic Club, asking if they had any involvement int he siting of the machine.
The Hellenic Club was fined 18 months ago over the way some of its staff dealt with two of its frequent patrons, Marlene and Raimo Kasurinen after Mr Kasurinen took his own life, deep in debt. His widow and the couple's family accused staff of enabling the pair to get cash withdrawals inside the club above the amount limited by gambling law.
The club appealed against the fine to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The tribunal heard that staff at the Woden club allowed the couple to get around a $200 ceiling on cash withdrawals from an eftpos machine near the gaming room. The tribunal heard that Mrs Kasurinen was allowed to take out batches of $200 in cash, sometimes adding up to $1000.
Examples on one day cited in the tribunal included:
In July, the tribunal ruled that some of the claims against the club were not proven, but it did rule that the allegations of allowing cash withdrawals above the limit stood up.
The club had argued that several quick withdrawals of $200 batches in quick succession did not add up to a single withdrawal, and so weren't against the law.
But the ACAT decision was: "The Club's interpretation is artificial. That is, it is artificial to distinguish between, for example, one withdrawal of $400 (which was prohibited) and two immediately successive transactions of $200 within seconds of each other (which the Club submitted was permitted)."
The law on cash machines and pokies in the ACT may be changing. Labor has indicated that it wants cash machines removed from clubs with poker machines.
This may have prompted outside companies to see a legal and profitable opening by putting ATMs near - but not in - clubs with pokies.
ACAT will reconsider the $1.2 million fine in November.
The Hellenic Club was contacted for comment on the nearby ATM but hadn't replied at the time of writing.
When ACAT made its finding earlier this year, the club's chief executive, Ian Cameron, said: "Throughout this process, the Club has maintained that it takes its responsibilities around problem gambling seriously and has always sought to provide a safe and supportive environment for its members.
"As the matter will return to ACAT for a further hearing in November, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage."
