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This is a Bill, not an Act. For current law, see the Acts databases.
South Australia
Statutes Amendment (Gaming Machine Limitations)
Bill 2008
A BILL FOR
An Act to amend the Casino Act 1997 and the Gaming Machines
Act 1992.
Contents
Part 1—Preliminary
1 Short
title
2 Commencement
3 Amendment provisions
Part 2—Amendment of Casino
Act 1997
4 Amendment of section 37A—Authorisation of
games by the Commissioner
5 Amendment of section 42B—Certain gaming
machine facilities prohibited
Part 3—Amendment of Gaming Machines
Act 1992
6 Amendment of section 40—Approval of gaming
machines and games
7 Amendment of section 53A—Prohibition of certain
gaming machine facilities
The Parliament of South Australia enacts as
follows:
This Act may be cited as the Statutes Amendment (Gaming Machine
Limitations) Act 2008.
This Act will come into operation on the day on which it is assented to by
the Governor.
In this Act, a provision under a heading referring to the amendment of a
specified Act amends the Act so specified.
Part 2—Amendment
of Casino Act 1997
4—Amendment of
section 37A—Authorisation of games by the
Commissioner
(1) Section 37A(1)—delete subsection (1)
(2) Section 37A—after subsection (2) insert:
(3) The Commissioner must have regard to any guidelines issued by the
Authority for the purpose of assessing whether a game is likely to lead to an
exacerbation of problem gambling and, if the game has 1 or more of the
prescribed characteristics, it is to be taken to be likely to lead to an
exacerbation of problem gambling unless there are other characteristics that the
Commissioner is satisfied mitigate that likelihood.
(4) For the purposes of this section, the prescribed
characteristics of a game are—
(a) non-linear
the statistical return to the player for the game changes depending on the
amount bet;
(b) illusion of control
the player may be induced to believe that his or her level of skill will
affect the outcome of the game when this is not the case;
(c) win truncation
there are circumstances in which a prize provided for by the rules of the
game would, but for a provision that provided that prizes would be truncated to
the maximum prize permitted by law, exceed the maximum prize permitted by
law;
(d) feature entry bet
the game has a special feature that is only available if the player bets at
or above a particular level;
(e) paid-for feature game
the game has a special feature that will only commence if a further bet or
bets are made;
(f) metamorphic
the game will transform into a different game when certain game events
(requiring further play) have occurred;
(g) free spins
the game has a special feature that includes free reel spins or bets
provided on a random basis;
(h) rate of play
the reel spin interval of the game is less than 3.5 seconds or, in the case
of a game which does not display reels, a bet can be placed more than 17 times
per minute;
(i) game screen meters
the game does not display the value in money of the credit balance, bet and
win, using a “$” symbol and numerals of the same size and intensity
as the display of the credit balance, bet and win;
(j) near miss
the game has a special feature giving the player an impression that a win
is imminent when the game is performing precisely to specification, such as the
existence of variable reel sizes with the game displaying, for example, the same
symbol on the first four (short) reels but not on the fifth (longer)
reel;
(k) multiple lines
the game allows the player to bet on lines that are only represented by
symbols on the screen or are not otherwise represented by a reel that is clearly
visible on the screen;
(l) reel power
the game has a special feature that allows a player to bet not only on each
game or line, but on the outcome of symbols that become visible on the reels or
on other outcomes.
5—Amendment of
section 42B—Certain gaming machine facilities
prohibited
(1) Section 42B—after subsection (6) insert:
(6a) It is a condition of the casino licence that the licensee must not,
on or after the prescribed day, provide any gaming machine in the casino
that—
(a) is capable of accepting a bet of more than $1; or
(b) is capable of playing more than 1 game, or more than 1 line of a game,
at the same time unless immediately before the player using the machine chooses
to play such a game or line a warning that the choice will greatly increase the
size of the player's bet is prominently displayed on the machine for sufficient
time to be read by that player.
(2) Section 42B(7), definition of prescribed
day—delete "subsection (6)" and substitute:
the subsection in which the expression appears
Part 3—Amendment
of Gaming Machines
Act 1992
6—Amendment of
section 40—Approval of gaming machines and games
(1) Section 40(2)—delete subsection (2)
(2) Section 40—after subsection (3) insert:
(4) The Commissioner must have regard to any guidelines issued by the
Authority for the purpose of assessing whether a game is likely to lead to an
exacerbation of problem gambling and, if the game has 1 or more of the
prescribed characteristics, it is to be taken to be likely to lead to an
exacerbation of problem gambling unless there are other characteristics that the
Commissioner is satisfied mitigate that likelihood.
(5) For the purposes of this section, the prescribed
characteristics of a game are—
(a) non-linear
the statistical return to the player for the game changes depending on the
amount bet;
(b) illusion of control
the player may be induced to believe that his or her level of skill will
affect the outcome of the game when this is not the case;
(c) win truncation
there are circumstances in which a prize provided for by the rules of the
game would, but for a provision that provided that prizes would be truncated to
the maximum prize permitted by law, exceed the maximum prize permitted by
law;
(d) feature entry bet
the game has a special feature that is only available if the player bets at
or above a particular level;
(e) paid-for feature game
the game has a special feature that will only commence if a further bet or
bets are made;
(f) metamorphic
the game will transform into a different game when certain game events
(requiring further play) have occurred;
(g) free spins
the game has a special feature that includes free reel spins or bets
provided on a random basis;
(h) rate of play
the reel spin interval of the game is less than 3.5 seconds or, in the case
of a game which does not display reels, a bet can be placed more than 17 times
per minute;
(i) game screen meters
the game does not display the value in money of the credit balance, bet and
win, using a “$” symbol and numerals of the same size and intensity
as the display of the credit balance, bet and win;
(j) near miss
the game has a special feature giving the player an impression that a win
is imminent when the game is performing precisely to specification, such as the
existence of variable reel sizes with the game displaying, for example, the same
symbol on the first four (short) reels but not on the fifth (longer)
reel;
(k) multiple lines
the game allows the player to bet on lines that are only represented by
symbols on the screen or are not otherwise represented by a reel that is clearly
visible on the screen;
(l) reel power
the game has a special feature that allows a player to bet not only on each
game or line, but on the outcome of symbols that become visible on the reels or
on other outcomes.
7—Amendment of
section 53A—Prohibition of certain gaming machine
facilities
(1) Section 53A—after subsection (6) insert:
(6a) The holder of a gaming machine licence must not, on or after the
prescribed day, provide any gaming machine on the licensed premises
that—
(a) is capable of accepting a bet of more than $1;
(b) is capable of playing more than 1 game, or more than 1 line of a game,
at the same time unless immediately before the player using the machine chooses
to play such a game or line a warning that the choice will greatly increase the
size of the player's bet is prominently displayed on the machine for sufficient
time to be read by that player.
Maximum penalty: $35 000.
(2) Section 53A(7), definition of prescribed
day—delete "subsection (6)" and substitute:
the subsection in which the expression appears