Latest news with #VGCCC
Sydney Morning Herald
25-06-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
A 13-year-old played the pokies. Melbourne Racing Club's new-look leadership has to conduct a review
On one of those occasions he was with adults and used a machine for five minutes without a staff member intervening. The court took into account that the Peninsula Club had self-reported the breach and taken steps to prevent similar incidents happening again. The MRC was fined a further $60,000 by the VGCCC in March after three of its venues – the Peninsula Club, Steeples in Mornington and Ringwood hotel The Coach and Horses – allowed customers to use poker machines outside permitted trading hours on Good Friday last year. The three gaming venues opened before noon. The MRC came under scrutiny earlier this month after the board removed CEO Tom Reilly from office just three months after he started the role. It also appointed Tanya Fullarton as chief operating officer without advertising the position or conducting an interview process. Loading Fullarton is vice chair of the Thoroughbred Racehorse Association Board, sitting alongside chairman and billionaire racehorse owner Jonathan Munz. MRC board member Barbara Saunders resigned on learning that Reilly would lose his job. 'I resigned because I had concerns about the lack of governance at the club and the removal of Tom Reilly from his position as CEO because, in my opinion, he was performing the role very well,' Saunders said at the time. The MRC board then appointed Kanga as honorary executive chairman. Since the start of the year, the MRC has parted ways with Reilly, and four senior staff members – Menz, chief financial officer Brent Westerbeek, head of commercial Alana Bray and head of racing and operations Jake Norton have resigned. In a statement to this masthead regarding its racing operations, the MRC said: 'Despite this disruption, the club is performing well and the transition has been smooth. The impact on the performance and staff has been positive, with Fullarton being well received and staff morale improving substantially.' This masthead reached out to Menz, who declined to comment. Reilly has also declined to comment when previously contacted about his exit. At board level, former chairman Matt Cain, former vice chairman Nick Hassett, Mark Pratt, Brooke Dawson, Scott Davidson and Jill Monk have all walked away in the past 12 months. Former CEO Josh Blanksby resigned at the end of August after seven years in the role. Kanga seized control of the board after filing a shock motion for a special general meeting in August last year. He was voted in as chairman in October. His Save Our MRC movement swept to power on three key promises: saving Sandown Racecourse, returning the mounting yard to its original position in front of the Caulfield members' stand, and scrapping plans to build a new $250 million grandstand at Caulfield. In its statement, the MRC said it is 'fully committed to upholding the highest standards of regulatory compliance, adherence to all legal requirements and industry best practice to prevent any form of underage gambling. 'Subsequent to a self-reported incident in June 2023 involving an underage individual entering one of our venues, the MRC made application to vary its licence conditions to include a one-off risk assessment with the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC).' Loading The MRC said it immediately introduced a range of measures to reinforce its zero-tolerance approach to under-age gambling, including 'physical barriers and secured entry points; installation of glass doors with controlled access; comprehensive staff training on risk identification and ID verification; [and] enhanced signage and reconfigured floor layouts to improve visibility and patron monitoring.' A Victorian gambling commission spokesperson told this masthead that the MRC was required to 'commission an independent risk assessment at all of 14 of its venues and implement the recommended controls to prevent minors from entering poker machine areas'. 'The VGCCC has zero tolerance for breaches involving children,' the spokesperson said. 'Research tells us that people who begin gambling at a young age are at greater risk of developing gambling problems as an adult. 'Some examples of controls could include displaying clear signage that the poker machine room is only for adults and checking the identification of anyone who appears under 25 years of age before allowing them to enter a gaming area.' Valley's $70m rebuild deal Moonee Valley Racing Club has awarded a $70 million civil works contract to construction company Symal to rebuild its racecourse. Moonee Valley will shut its gates after this year's October 25 Cox Plate to undergo an extreme 21-month makeover, which includes reshaping its unique amphitheatre circuit. The contract includes earthworks, full track reconstruction, new racing infrastructure, upgraded underpasses, retaining walls and the installation of new track lighting.
The Age
25-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
A 13-year-old played the pokies. Melbourne Racing Club's new-look leadership has to conduct a review
On one of those occasions he was with adults and used a machine for five minutes without a staff member intervening. The court took into account that the Peninsula Club had self-reported the breach and taken steps to prevent similar incidents happening again. The MRC was fined a further $60,000 by the VGCCC in March after three of its venues – the Peninsula Club, Steeples in Mornington and Ringwood hotel The Coach and Horses – allowed customers to use poker machines outside permitted trading hours on Good Friday last year. The three gaming venues opened before noon. The MRC came under scrutiny earlier this month after the board removed CEO Tom Reilly from office just three months after he started the role. It also appointed Tanya Fullarton as chief operating officer without advertising the position or conducting an interview process. Loading Fullarton is vice chair of the Thoroughbred Racehorse Association Board, sitting alongside chairman and billionaire racehorse owner Jonathan Munz. MRC board member Barbara Saunders resigned on learning that Reilly would lose his job. 'I resigned because I had concerns about the lack of governance at the club and the removal of Tom Reilly from his position as CEO because, in my opinion, he was performing the role very well,' Saunders said at the time. The MRC board then appointed Kanga as honorary executive chairman. Since the start of the year, the MRC has parted ways with Reilly, and four senior staff members – Menz, chief financial officer Brent Westerbeek, head of commercial Alana Bray and head of racing and operations Jake Norton have resigned. In a statement to this masthead regarding its racing operations, the MRC said: 'Despite this disruption, the club is performing well and the transition has been smooth. The impact on the performance and staff has been positive, with Fullarton being well received and staff morale improving substantially.' This masthead reached out to Menz, who declined to comment. Reilly has also declined to comment when previously contacted about his exit. At board level, former chairman Matt Cain, former vice chairman Nick Hassett, Mark Pratt, Brooke Dawson, Scott Davidson and Jill Monk have all walked away in the past 12 months. Former CEO Josh Blanksby resigned at the end of August after seven years in the role. Kanga seized control of the board after filing a shock motion for a special general meeting in August last year. He was voted in as chairman in October. His Save Our MRC movement swept to power on three key promises: saving Sandown Racecourse, returning the mounting yard to its original position in front of the Caulfield members' stand, and scrapping plans to build a new $250 million grandstand at Caulfield. In its statement, the MRC said it is 'fully committed to upholding the highest standards of regulatory compliance, adherence to all legal requirements and industry best practice to prevent any form of underage gambling. 'Subsequent to a self-reported incident in June 2023 involving an underage individual entering one of our venues, the MRC made application to vary its licence conditions to include a one-off risk assessment with the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC).' Loading The MRC said it immediately introduced a range of measures to reinforce its zero-tolerance approach to under-age gambling, including 'physical barriers and secured entry points; installation of glass doors with controlled access; comprehensive staff training on risk identification and ID verification; [and] enhanced signage and reconfigured floor layouts to improve visibility and patron monitoring.' A Victorian gambling commission spokesperson told this masthead that the MRC was required to 'commission an independent risk assessment at all of 14 of its venues and implement the recommended controls to prevent minors from entering poker machine areas'. 'The VGCCC has zero tolerance for breaches involving children,' the spokesperson said. 'Research tells us that people who begin gambling at a young age are at greater risk of developing gambling problems as an adult. 'Some examples of controls could include displaying clear signage that the poker machine room is only for adults and checking the identification of anyone who appears under 25 years of age before allowing them to enter a gaming area.' Valley's $70m rebuild deal Moonee Valley Racing Club has awarded a $70 million civil works contract to construction company Symal to rebuild its racecourse. Moonee Valley will shut its gates after this year's October 25 Cox Plate to undergo an extreme 21-month makeover, which includes reshaping its unique amphitheatre circuit. The contract includes earthworks, full track reconstruction, new racing infrastructure, upgraded underpasses, retaining walls and the installation of new track lighting.
ABC News
06-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Football Australia facing integrity probe amid match-fixing allegations
Football Australia is being investigated over its ability to protect the sport's integrity as it grapples with the A-League's second match-fixing scandal in 12 months. ABC Investigations can reveal the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission will launch a 'suitability review' of Football Australia that will examine the governing body's integrity measures, as well as the range of betting markets it allows on soccer games in Australia. The revelations of the probe come after Victoria Police this week charged 25-year-old Western United player Riku Danzaki with 10 match-fixing charges for allegedly intentionally receiving yellow cards during A-League matches in April and May. In May last year, NSW Police charged Macarthur FC players Ulises Davila, Kearyn Bacchus and Clayton Lewis with match-fixing offences also allegedly involving yellow cards. The VGCCC says the latest match-fixing allegations involving the Western United player were "concerning." "The VGCCC will conduct a suitability review of FA in the 2025–26 financial year to assess its ability to ensure the integrity of its events," the regulator said in statement. "This will include looking at the activities FA allows betting on, such as yellow cards. "The scope of the FA review is yet to be finalised but will focus on the legislated integrity requirements of sports controlling bodies." In a statement, Football Australia said the VGCCC informed it of the review in April. "Football Australia welcomes the opportunity to continue to refine our vigilance against integrity threats," it said. "Football Australia subscribes to continual vigilance in our standards to meet this challenge, but it's something that all Australian and international sports, regulators and government agencies must do together, as this stain isn't unique to footy players. "The job on integrity is never complete as offenders are becoming more and more sophisticated." Under Victoria's gambling laws, Football Australia is a designated "sports controlling body", which gives it the responsibility to oversee integrity of soccer and the power to negotiate with betting companies about the range of events on which they can offer bets. It also enables Football Australia to earn a portion of the revenue of gambling on soccer games – including bets on the number of yellow cards in a match. Football Australia has similar powers and responsibilities under New South Wales gambling laws. In 2023, Four Corners revealed Football Australia was allowing bookmakers to offer bets on all levels of the sport – from international games to amateur suburban matches. Most other major sporting bodies, such as the AFL and NRL, only allow betting on first and second-tier professional competitions. While the VGCCC has not disclosed the terms of reference for its inquiry, Melbourne University sports law expert Jack Anderson said it would likely focus on the range of gambling Football Australia allows on all levels of professional and amateur soccer in the country. "Probably what [the regulator] is doing is saying, yes, we have agreed that Football Australia can allow a range of bets on football. But are some of these bets presenting such a risk that they should be struck off and not offered?" he said. Professor Anderson said soccer governing bodies and authorities around the world are grappling with rising instances of alleged match fixing involving yellow cards, which is one of the few elements of play in the sport that can be influenced by a single player. "It's very discrete, in that a player can effect the foul that generates the yellow card. And they can do it almost to the minute, or to a particular time in the game." Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who plays with English Premier League side West Ham United, is facing a possible lifetime ban after the UK Football Association charged him with allegedly intentionally receiving yellow cards as part of a spot-fixing operation. Paqueta has denied any wrongdoing.
