28 February 2018

Staff in Woolworths-owned pubs allegedly preyed on their most regular gamblers, gathering and sharing data on their habits to maximise profits, the independent MP Andrew Wilkie has said.

Wilkie...has obtained evidence that pub staff shared the habits of problem gamblers across hundreds of venues owned by Australian Leisure and Hospitality [ALH] Group, a Woolworths subsidiary.

The information, stored on a widely accessible Google drive, was used to keep gamblers at Woolworths-owned pokies for longer.

...The information indicates staff were being rewarded with gift vouchers for meeting betting targets, and certain players were being induced to stay with drink cards and other promotions.

As a condition of their gambling licences, businesses are required to adopt and adhere to codes of conduct, which are intended to stop unsafe gambling practices being promoted.

A gambling expert from Monash University, Charles Livingstone, said the evidence obtained by Wilkie's office suggested the codes of conduct were being systematically broken.

The ALH Group operates about 330 venues and more than 550 retail liquor outlets across Australia. It is thought it owns about 12,500 poker machines...