South Australia hotel group charged with allowing pokies players to withdraw too much cash

One of South Australia’s largest hotel groups has been charged with allowing patrons to withdraw too much money from one of its pubs.

In the first prosecution of its kind in SA, the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner has charged the owners of the Mansfield Park Hotel with allowing a patron to withdraw more than $200 from an EFTPOS facility.

Under SA’s pokie regulations, venues with gaming machines, with the exception of the Adelaide Casino, are required to have a $250 ATM withdrawal limit per card, per day, and a $200 EFTPOS cash transaction limit.

According to Court documents, hotel guests were able to withdraw more than $200 from EFTPOS facilities on seven occasions between February 2015 and November 2016. In one instance it is alleged a person took out $400, while another allegedly withdrew $250 before 48 minutes later withdrawing another $250.

Matthews Hospitality Operations manager and director Shaun Matthews has also been charged for failing to exercise due diligence to prevent the withdrawals.

The hotel could be fined $35,000 for each offence of allowing a person to obtain more than $200 from an EFTPOS facility.

Sheridan Randall, 3^rd October 2019