Minister: Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment
Agency: Queensland Treasury


Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998


Queensland Crest
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998
Queensland Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Current as at [Not applicable] Indicative reprint note This is an unofficial version of a reprint of this Act that incorporates all proposed amendments to the Act included in the Betting Tax Bill 2018. This indicative reprint has been prepared for information only— it is not an authorised reprint of the Act . The point-in-time date for this indicative reprint is the introduction date for the Betting Tax Bill 2018—12 June 2018. Detailed information about indicative reprints is available on the Information page of the Queensland legislation website.
© State of Queensland 2018 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Not authorised —indicative only Queensland Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Part 1 Division 1 1 2 Division 2 3 Division 3 4 5 6 7 Division 4 8 Part 2 Division 1 9 10 Division 2 11 12 12A 13 14 15 16 Page Preliminary Formal provisions Short title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Commencement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Objects Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Basic concepts and definitions Meaning of game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Meaning of player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Meaning of interactive game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Territorial application Territorial application of this Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Interactive gambling The cooperative scheme General features of the regulatory scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Declaration of participating jurisdictions and corresponding law . 17 Authorised providers and authorised games Meaning of licensed provider, external provider and authorised provider 18 Meaning of authorised game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Meaning of exempt game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Authorisation to conduct interactive games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Change to conditions of authorisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Revocation of authorisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Penalty for conduct of, or participation in, unauthorised interactive
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Not authorised —indicative only Division 3 17 18 19 20 20A 21 22 22A Division 4 23 Division 5 24 25 26 27 28 Division 6 29 Part 3 Division 1 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Division 2 41 42 Page 2 gambling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conduct of authorised games Player registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Procedure for registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Restrictions for registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Player’s account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Restrictions on deposits for player’s account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acceptance of wagers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Player to be bound by rules of the game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Accounting for account balances for restricted players . . . . . . . . Restriction of gambling venues Use of premises for interactive gambling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exemption schemes Meaning of exemption scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Approval of exemption scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cancellation of approval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Termination of approved exemption scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gazette notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . General validation of authorised activities Lawful activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interactive gambling licences Applications for, and issue of, interactive gambling licences Application for interactive gambling licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Consideration of application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conditions for granting application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suitability of applicant to hold interactive gambling licence . . . . . Suitability of business and executive associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . Investigations of suitability of persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Decision on application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conditions of licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Form of licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Changing conditions of licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Return of licence for endorsement of changed conditions . . . . . General provisions about interactive gambling licences Interactive gambling licence not to be transferable . . . . . . . . . . . Mortgage and assignment of interactive gambling licence . . . . . 21 22 22 23 23 25 25 25 25 26 26 26 27 28 28 28 29 29 30 30 31 31 32 32 32 33 33 34 34
43 Division 3 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 Division 4 55 56 57 58 59 Part 4 Division 1 60 61 62 63 64 Division 2 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Surrender of interactive gambling licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Suspension and cancellation of interactive gambling licences Grounds for suspension or cancellation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Show cause notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Copy of show cause notice to be given to interested persons . . 38 Consideration of representations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Immediate suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Censuring licensed provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Direction to rectify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Notice referring question of disciplinary action to Governor in Council 41 Suspension, cancellation and appointment of administrator . . . . 42 Terms of appointment, and role, of administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Cancellation or reduction of period of suspension . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Investigations into suitability Audit program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Investigations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Requirement to give information or document for investigation . 45 Reports about person’s criminal history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Decisions about interactive gambling licence not to be justiciable 46 Key persons Requirement for key persons to be licensed Meaning of key person and key relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Obligation to hold licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Requirement that key person apply for licence or end role . . . . . 49 Requirement that key person end role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Requirement to end key person’s role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Applications for, and issue of, key person licences Application for key person licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Consideration of application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Conditions for granting application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Investigation of suitability of applicant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Decision on application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Form of key person licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Term of key person licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Lapsing of key person licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Page 3 Not authorised —indicative only
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Not authorised —indicative only 73 74 75 76 Division 3 Subdivision 1 77 78 79 80 81 Subdivision 2 82 83 83A 83B Division 4 84 85 86 87 Division 5 88 89 Division 6 90 91 Division 7 92 93 Part 5 Division 1 94 95 96 Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Changing conditions of key person licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Replacement of key person licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Surrender of key person licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Suspension and cancellation of key person licences, and other action by chief executive Suspension and cancellation Grounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Show cause notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Consideration of representations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Immediate suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Suspension and cancellation of licence after show cause process 59 Other action by chief executive Ending show cause process without further action . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Censuring key person licensee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Direction to rectify matter after show cause process . . . . . . . . . . 61 Cancellation or reduction of period of suspension . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Investigation of key person licensees Audit program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Investigations into suitability of key person licensees . . . . . . . . . 63 Requirement to give information or document for investigation . 63 Reports about criminal history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Requirements about employment Notice of start of employee’s employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Returns about employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Requirements about key relationships Notice of end of key relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Requirement to end key relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 General False statements by applicants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Destruction of fingerprints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Agents Agency agreements Meaning of agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Meaning of agency agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Conditions for entering into agency agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Page 4
97 98 99 Division 2 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 Division 3 108 109 110 111 Part 6 Division 1 112 Division 2 113 114 115 Division 3 117 118 119 Part 7 Division 1 120 120A 121 122 123 124 Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Notice of agency agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amendment of agency agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Returns about agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terminating agency agreements Grounds for termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Show cause notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suspending agent’s operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Censuring agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Direction to rectify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Directions to terminate affecting agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Termination of agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notice of termination of agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Investigations into suitability Audit program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Investigations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Requirement to give information or material for investigation . . . Reports about person’s criminal history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Licence fees and tax Licence fees Liability to licence fee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interactive gambling tax Liability to tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Returns for calculation of tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Participating jurisdictions tax entitlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recovery and penalties Penalty for late payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recovery of amounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Revenue offences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Compliance requirements Rules and directions Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rules to be made available etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . General responsibilities of licensed provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Responsibility of licensed provider to ensure compliance by agent Responsibility of agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 69 69 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 75 76 76 77 77 78 78 78 79 79 80 80 81 81 82 82 82 83 Page 5 Not authorised —indicative only
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Division 2 125 126 Division 3 127 128 129 Division 4 132 133 134 135 Division 5 136 Division 5A Subdivision 1 137 137A 137B Subdivision 2 137C 137D 137E 137F Subdivision 3 137G 137H 137I 137J 137K 137L Division 6 138 139 Place of operation Licensed provider’s place of operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Agent’s place of operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Control systems Authorised games to be conducted under a control system . . . . 84 Content of control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Chief executive may give direction about content of control system 85 Dealings involving players’ accounts Funds in player’s account to be remitted on demand . . . . . . . . . 86 Licensed provider or agent not to act as credit provider . . . . . . . 86 Licensed providers limited recourse to players’ accounts . . . . . . 86 Inactive players’ accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Responsible gambling Limitation on amount wagered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Excluding persons from participating in authorised games as players Provisions about self-exclusion Self-exclusion notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Self-exclusion order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Revoking self-exclusion order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Exclusion instigated by licensed provider Exclusion direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Duration of exclusion direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Application to revoke exclusion direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Deciding application to revoke exclusion direction . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Other provisions Particular persons not to participate in authorised games . . . . . 92 Counselling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Obligation to prevent persons from participating in authorised games 94 Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Report about prohibition under order or direction . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Distributing promotional or advertising material about authorised games 95 Gambling records Notices about keeping gambling records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Gambling records to be kept at certain place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Page 6
140 Division 7 141 142 143 Division 8 144 145 Division 9 146 147 148 Division 10 149 150 151 152 153 Division 11 154 155 Division 12 156 157 158 159 Division 13 159A 160 161 Division 14 162 163 163A Division 15 164 Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Gambling records to be kept for required period . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Financial accounts, statements and reports Keeping of accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Preparation of financial statements and accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Submission of reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Financial institutions accounts Keeping of accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Use of accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Audit Audit of licensed provider’s operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Completion of audit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Further information following audit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Ancillary and related agreements Ancillary gambling agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Approval of ancillary gambling agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Review of related agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Show cause notice for related agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Direction to terminate related agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Official supervision Monitoring operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Presence of inspector at certain operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Prizes Payment or collection of prizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Disposal of unclaimed non-monetary prizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Claims for prize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Entitlement to prize lapses if not claimed within 5 years . . . . . . . 107 Interrupted and aborted games Interrupted games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Aborted games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Power to withhold prize in certain cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Approval and use of regulated interactive gambling equipment Approval of regulated interactive gambling equipment . . . . . . . . 109 Use of regulated interactive gambling equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Approved evaluators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Advertising Advertising interactive gambling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Page 7 Not authorised —indicative only
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents 165 166 Division 16 167 168 Division 17 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 Part 8 Division 1 Subdivision 1 185 Subdivision 2 186 Subdivision 3 187 188 189 190 191 Incidental requirements for advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Directions about advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Complaints Inquiries about complaints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Reporting improper behaviour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Gambling offences Cheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Forgery and deception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Impersonating certain persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Bribery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Participation in authorised games by employees of licensed provider 118 Chief executive’s power to restrict participation in authorised games by gaming officials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Power to declare gaming official to be a key official . . . . . . . . . . 118 Relationship of key officials with authorised providers and agents 118 Relationship of key officials with prospective licensed providers 119 Relationship between authorised providers and key officials . . . 120 Participation by minors in conduct of approved games prohibited 121 Participation by minors as players prohibited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Obscene etc. terms prohibited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Interference with proper conduct of authorised games . . . . . . . . 122 Offences by certain persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Licensed provider not to publish identity of player in certain cases 123 Investigation and enforcement Inspectors Preliminary Persons who are inspectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Appointment of inspectors Appointment and qualifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Other matters about inspectors Conditions and limit on powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Issue of identity card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Production or display of identity card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 When appointed inspector ceases to hold office . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Resignation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Page 8
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents 192 Subdivision 4 193 194 Division 2 Subdivision 1 195 Subdivision 2 196 197 Subdivision 3 198 199 200 201 202 203 Subdivision 4 204 205 206 Subdivision 5 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 Subdivision 6 216 217 Return of identity card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Audit program and report about criminal history Audit program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Report about criminal history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Powers of inspectors General scope of inspectors’ powers General scope of powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Power to enter places Entry without consent or warrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Entry with consent or warrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Consents and warrants for entry Consent to entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Evidence of consent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Application for warrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Issue of warrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Special warrants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Evidence about special warrants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 General powers General powers after entering places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Failure to help inspector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Failure to give information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Power to seize evidence Seizing evidence at place that may be entered without consent or warrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Seizing evidence at places that may only be entered with consent or warrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Securing things after seizure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Tampering with things subject to seizure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Powers to support seizure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Receipts to be given on seizure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Forfeiture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Return of things that have been seized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Access to things that have been seized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Power to give directions to stop using things Direction to stop using thing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Requirements about stop directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Page 9
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Not authorised —indicative only 218 Subdivision 7 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 Division 3 229 Division 4 230 231 232 233 234 Division 5 235 236 237 Part 9 Division 1 238 239 240 241 Division 2 242 243 244 245 Failure to comply with stop direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Power to obtain information Power to require name and address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Failure to give name or address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Power to require production of documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Failure to produce document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Failure to certify copy of document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Power to require attendance of persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Failure to comply with requirement about attendance . . . . . . . . . 145 Power to require financial records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Effect of compliance with financial records requirement . . . . . . . 146 Failure to comply with financial records requirement . . . . . . . . . 146 Powers of Minister Direction about management practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 General enforcement matters Forfeiture on conviction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Dealing with forfeited things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Notice of damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Protecting officials from liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 General enforcement offences False or misleading statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 False, misleading or incomplete documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Obstructing inspectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Legal proceedings Evidence Application of division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Appointments and authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Evidentiary aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Proceedings Indictable and summary offences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Proceedings for indictable offences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Limitation on who may summarily hear indictable offence proceedings 155 Limitation on time for starting summary proceedings . . . . . . . . . 155 Page 10
246 247 248 Part 10 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 Part 11 260 261 261A 261B 261C 262 263 Part 12 Division 1 264 266 Division 2 268 269 270 Division 3 271 Schedule 1 Schedule 2 Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Responsibility for acts or omissions of representatives . . . . . . . . 155 Executive officer may be taken to have committed offence against s 119(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Attempts to commit offences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Reviews by tribunal When licensed providers may apply for review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 When applicants for key person licences may apply for review . 157 When key person licensees may apply for review . . . . . . . . . . . 158 When agents may apply for review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 When other persons may apply for review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Tribunal to decide review on evidence before the chief executive 158 Tribunal may give leave for review to be decided on new evidence in particular circumstances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Appeals from tribunal only to Court of Appeal on a question of law 160 Miscellaneous Confidentiality of information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Delegations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Cancellation of Gocorp’s interactive gambling licence . . . . . . . . 162 Person not to profit from a transaction ending or lessening a prohibited person’s interest in Gocorp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 State immunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Approval of forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Regulation-making power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Transitional provisions Transitional provisions for Gambling Legislation Amendment Act 2004 Definitions for div 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Direction to rectify under pre-amended Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Transitional provisions for Gambling Legislation Amendment Act 2005 Definitions for div 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Inspectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Audit program for inspectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Transitional provision for Liquor and Gaming (Red Tape Reduction) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2013 Continuation of offence under s 127 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Decisions not subject to appeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Decisions of chief executive subject to review . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Page 11 Not authorised —indicative only
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Contents Schedule 3 Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Not authorised —indicative only Page 12
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 1 Preliminary [s 1] Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 An Act to regulate interactive gambling and for other purposes Not authorised —indicative only Part 1 Preliminary Division 1 Formal provisions 1 Short title This Act may be cited as the Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 . 2 Commencement This Act commences on a day to be fixed by proclamation. Division 2 Objects 3 Object (1) The overarching object of this Act is to ensure that, on balance, the State and the community as a whole benefit from interactive gambling. (2) The balance is achieved by allowing interactive gambling subject to a system of regulation and control designed to protect players and the community through— (a) ensuring the integrity and fairness of games; and Current as at [Not applicable] Page 13
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 1 Preliminary [s 4] (b) ensuring the probity of those involved in the conduct of interactive gambling; and (c) minimising the potential for harm from interactive gambling. (3) Within the overarching object, the following objects are included— (a) to establish and maintain an appropriate system of regulation and control for interactive gambling; (b) to provide protection for players of interactive games; (c) to provide a basis for implementing an interjurisdictional regulatory scheme for— (i) the reciprocal recognition between participating jurisdictions of licences, authorisations and other administrative acts; and (ii) the regulation and control of interactive gambling in the participating jurisdictions on a cooperative basis; and (iii) the sharing of tax derived from interactive gambling on an equitable basis. Division 3 Basic concepts and definitions 4 Meaning of game A game includes a scheme or arrangement. 5 Meaning of player A player is a person who participates in an interactive game. 6 Meaning of interactive game (1) An interactive game is a game in which— Page 14 Current as at [Not applicable]
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 1 Preliminary [s 6] (a) a prize consisting of money or something else of value is offered or can be won under the rules of the game; and (b) a player— (i) enters the game or takes any step in the game by means of a telecommunication device; and (ii) gives, or undertakes to give, a monetary payment or other valuable consideration to enter, in the course of, or for, the game; and (c) the winner of a prize is decided— (i) wholly or partly by chance; or (ii) by a competition or other activity in which the outcome is wholly or partly dependent on the player’s skill. (2) However, the following are not interactive games— (a) wagering conducted under the Racing Integrity Act 2016 if— (i) a person places a wager with a racing bookmaker by using a telecommunications system under that Act for conducting the wagering; and (ii) either— (A) when the wager is placed, the racing bookmaker is carrying on bookmaking at a race meeting under the Racing Act 2002 ; or (B) the racing bookmaker is carrying on the bookmaking under an offcourse approval under the Racing Integrity Act 2016 ; (b) wagering conducted under a wagering licence under the Wagering Act 1998 ; (c) a game under the Charitable and Non-Profit Gaming Act 1999 , unless the game is declared by a regulation made under subsection (3) to be an interactive game despite this exclusion; Current as at [Not applicable] Page 15
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 1 Preliminary [s 7] (d) a lottery, other than the lottery known as ‘instant scratch-its’ or another instant lottery, conducted under a lottery operator’s licence under the Lotteries Act 1997 ; (e) a game authorised under a gaming Act in which the players may participate by means of telecommunication devices but only from designated commercial sites connected to a telecommunication network. (3) A game that would, but for the exclusion in subsection (2)(c), be an interactive game is taken to be an interactive game despite the exclusion if— (a) having regard to the nature, value, or frequency of prizes offered in the game and other matters the Minister considers relevant, the Minister considers the game should be brought within the ambit of this Act; and (b) a regulation is made, on the Minister’s recommendation, declaring the game to be an interactive game despite the exclusion. 7 Dictionary The dictionary in schedule 3 defines particular words used in this Act. Division 4 Territorial application 8 Territorial application of this Act (1) This Act applies both within and outside Queensland. (2) This Act applies outside Queensland to the full extent of the extraterritorial legislative power of the Parliament. Page 16 Current as at [Not applicable]
Part 2 Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 9] Interactive gambling Not authorised —indicative only Division 1 The cooperative scheme 9 General features of the regulatory scheme (1) This Act contemplates a cooperative scheme between Queensland and other jurisdictions for the regulation and control of interactive gambling. (2) However, this Act is not dependent on participation by any other jurisdiction in the regulatory scheme. (3) The regulation and control of interactive gambling is to be achieved through a statutory scheme consisting of this Act and the corresponding laws of participating jurisdictions for the licensing and control of persons who conduct, or exercise an important role in the conduct of, interactive games. 10 Declaration of participating jurisdictions and corresponding law (1) If the Minister is satisfied the law of another jurisdiction is compatible with this Act, the Governor in Council may, on the Minister’s recommendation, declare— (a) the other jurisdiction is to be regarded under this Act as a participating jurisdiction; and (b) the relevant law of the other jurisdiction (including the law as amended or substituted from time to time) is to be regarded as a corresponding law. (2) However, a declaration is not to be made under this section unless the Minister has entered into an agreement (an intergovernmental agreement ) with the prospective participating regulator that makes, in the Minister’s opinion, adequate provision for the following matters— (a) the taxation of authorised games on a uniform or consistent basis; Current as at [Not applicable] Page 17
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 11] (b) collaboration between gaming officials and officers of the other jurisdiction engaged in the administration of the relevant law of the other jurisdiction; (c) mutual recognition of licences and administrative acts between jurisdictions; (d) sharing of tax revenue derived from interactive gambling on an equitable basis. (3) If the Minister considers the law of a participating jurisdiction is no longer compatible with this Act, or the intergovernmental agreement with the participating jurisdiction is not operating satisfactorily, the Governor in Council may, on the Minister’s recommendation, declare— (a) the other jurisdiction is, as from a specified date, no longer to be regarded as a participating jurisdiction; and (b) the relevant law of the other jurisdiction is, as from a specified date, no longer to be regarded as a corresponding law. (4) A declaration under this section is to be made by regulation. Division 2 Authorised providers and authorised games 11 Meaning of licensed provider , external provider and authorised provider (1) A licensed provider means a person who is licensed under this Act to conduct interactive games. (2) An external provider is a person who is licensed under the corresponding law of a participating jurisdiction to conduct interactive games. (3) An authorised provider is a person who is licensed under this Act, or under the corresponding law of a participating jurisdiction, to conduct interactive games. Page 18 Current as at [Not applicable]
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 12] 12 Meaning of authorised game (1) An authorised game is an interactive game that— (a) a licensed provider is authorised to conduct under this division; or (b) an external provider is authorised to conduct under the corresponding law of the participating jurisdiction in which the provider is licensed. (2) However, a game that an external provider is authorised to conduct under a corresponding law (an externally authorised game ) is not to be regarded as an authorised game if the external provider is prohibited from conducting the game in Queensland by order under subsection (3). (3) If the Minister believes the conduct of an externally authorised game in Queensland is contrary to the public interest, the Minister may, by written notice given to the external provider authorised under the corresponding law to conduct the game, prohibit conduct of the game in Queensland. (4) The Minister may only impose a prohibition under subsection (3) after giving the external provider and the relevant participating regulator written notice of the proposed prohibition and the reasons for it and allowing each of them a reasonable opportunity to make representations. (5) If the Minister imposes a prohibition under subsection (3) the Minister must promptly give the relevant participating regulator a copy of the notice imposing the prohibition. 12A Meaning of exempt game (1) Wagering that is an interactive game is an exempt game if— (a) it is conducted by a betting operator under a licence or other authority, or an exemption, under a law of another State or the Commonwealth; and (b) a person places a wager with or through the betting operator using a telecommunication device; and Current as at [Not applicable] Page 19
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 13] (c) the betting operator does not directly or indirectly make available, or in any way facilitate the provision of, the telecommunication device used to place the wager. (2) In this section— betting operator see the Betting Tax Act 2018, section 12. Not authorised —indicative only 13 Authorisation to conduct interactive games (1) The Minister may, on application by a licensed provider, authorise the provider to conduct a particular interactive game on conditions stated in the instrument of approval. (2) The conditions of authorisation apply to the conduct of the game both within and outside Queensland. (3) The Minister has an absolute discretion to refuse to authorise an interactive game for which the Minister’s authorisation is sought. (4) If the Minister decides to refuse an application, the Minister must promptly give the applicant written notice of the decision and the reasons for it. 14 Change to conditions of authorisation (1) The Minister may, by written notice given to a licensed provider, change the conditions on which a particular interactive game is authorised if the Minister is of the opinion— (a) the conditions are not stringent enough to prevent cheating or other contravention of this Act; or (b) compliance with the conditions can not be effectively monitored or enforced; or (c) there is some other good reason to change the conditions. (2) However, the Minister may only change the conditions of an authorisation under this section after giving the licensed provider written notice of the proposed change of conditions Page 20 Current as at [Not applicable]
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 15] and the reasons for it and allowing the licensed provider a reasonable opportunity to make representations. Not authorised —indicative only 15 Revocation of authorisation (1) The Minister may, by written notice given to a licensed provider, revoke the authorisation for a particular interactive game if the Minister is of the opinion— (a) the licensed provider has contravened a condition of the authorisation; or (b) compliance with the conditions of the authorisation can not be effectively monitored or enforced; or (c) there is some other good reason to revoke the authorisation. (2) However, the Minister may only revoke an authorisation under this section after giving the licensed provider written notice of the proposed revocation and the reasons for it and allowing the licensed provider a reasonable opportunity to make representations. 16 Penalty for conduct of, or participation in, unauthorised interactive gambling (1) A person must not conduct an interactive game wholly or partly in Queensland, or allow a person who is in Queensland to participate in an interactive game, unless— (a) both of the following apply— (i) the game is an authorised game; (ii) the person is authorised under this Act or a corresponding law to conduct the game; or (b) the game is an exempt game. Maximum penalty—200 penalty units or 2 years imprisonment. (2) A person in Queensland must not participate in, or encourage or facilitate participation by another in, an interactive game Current as at [Not applicable] Page 21
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 17] knowing that the game is not an authorised game or an exempt game. Maximum penalty for subsection (2)—40 penalty units. Division 3 Conduct of authorised games 17 Player registration (1) A licensed provider must not permit a person to participate as a player in an authorised game unless the person is registered with the provider as a player. Maximum penalty—200 penalty units or 2 years imprisonment. (2) A person must not participate as a player in an authorised game unless the person is registered with the authorised provider who conducts the game as a player. Maximum penalty—40 penalty units. 18 Procedure for registration (1) A licensed provider (or agent) may only register a person as a player on receipt of an application for registration in an approved form. (2) A person is not eligible for registration as a player unless the person produces evidence of a kind required by the chief executive— (a) of the person’s— (i) identity; and (ii) place of residence; and (b) that the person is at least 18 years of age. (3) A person may be registered as an unrestricted or restricted player. Page 22 Current as at [Not applicable]
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 19] (4) A person who is registered as a restricted player may subsequently be registered as an unrestricted player. (5) If a person registered as a restricted player is subsequently registered as an unrestricted player, the person’s registration as a restricted player is cancelled. (6) Unless sooner cancelled under subsection (5), a person’s registration as a restricted player ceases to have effect at the end of— (a) the period prescribed under a regulation; or (b) if the chief executive extends the period—the period as extended. 19 Restrictions for registration (1) A licensed provider, or an agent of a licensed provider, must not register a person as an unrestricted player unless— (a) the person’s identity has been authenticated under the licensed provider’s control system; and (b) the person’s place of residence has been verified under the licensed provider’s control system; and (c) the person’s age has been verified under the licensed provider’s control system to be at least 18. Maximum penalty—200 penalty units. (2) A licensed provider, or an agent of a licensed provider, must not register a person as a restricted player unless— (a) the registration is carried out in accordance with the licensed provider’s control system; and (b) the licensed provider has informed the person in writing of the effect of sections 20(4), 20A and 22A. Maximum penalty—200 penalty units. 20 Player’s account (1) A player’s account is an account— Current as at [Not applicable] Page 23
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 20] (a) in the name of the player— (i) at a financial institution; or (ii) with a body prescribed under a regulation; and (b) against which the licensed provider has a right to debit the amount of a wager. (2) A player’s account must be established on the basis mentioned in this section. (3) A player’s account must be established on a basis under which, while the player is an unrestricted player, the player may only have direct recourse to the funds in the account— (a) to obtain the balance of funds in the account and close the account; or (b) to obtain the whole or part of the amount paid into the account as a prize in an authorised game; or (c) as authorised by the licensed provider or chief executive. (4) Also, a player’s account must be established on a basis under which, while the player is a restricted player, the player may not— (a) have recourse to funds in the account to obtain the whole or part of the balance of the funds in the account; or (b) close the account if there is a balance standing to the credit of the account. (5) Subsection (4) applies whether the balance— (a) consists of amounts deposited into the account by the player ( deposited amounts ); or (b) consists of amounts paid into the account as prizes in authorised games ( winnings ); or (c) consists partly of deposited amounts and partly of winnings. Page 24 Current as at [Not applicable]
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 20A] 20A Restrictions on deposits for player’s account A licensed provider must not, for the player’s account of a restricted player, permit the player— (a) to make a deposit that is more than the amount prescribed under a regulation (the fixed amount ); or (b) in a period prescribed under a regulation, to make deposits totalling more than the fixed amount. Maximum penalty—200 penalty units. 21 Acceptance of wagers A licensed provider must not accept a wager from a player in an authorised game unless— (a) a player’s account has been established in the name of the player and there are adequate funds in the account to cover the amount of the wager; or (b) the funds necessary to cover the amount of the wager are provided in a way authorised under a regulation. 22 Player to be bound by rules of the game A player who participates in an authorised game must comply with rules of the game as notified to the player under the conditions on which the game is authorised. Maximum penalty—40 penalty units. 22A Accounting for account balances for restricted players (1) This section applies if— (a) a person’s registration as a restricted player ceases to have effect because of section 18(6); and (b) when the registration ceases to have effect, an amount (the account balance ) is standing to the credit of a player’s account established in the name of the person. Current as at [Not applicable] Page 25
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 23] (2) The licensed provider must pay the account balance to the chief executive. (3) If an amount of the account balance is not paid by the licensed provider, the State may recover the amount from the provider as a debt. Not authorised —indicative only Division 4 Restriction of gambling venues 23 Use of premises for interactive gambling A person must not— (a) advertise that premises are available for playing interactive games; or (b) seek to obtain a commercial advantage from the use of premises for playing interactive games. Maximum penalty—200 penalty units or 2 years imprisonment. Division 5 Exemption schemes 24 Meaning of exemption scheme An exemption scheme is a scheme exempting the licensed provider authorised to conduct interactive games under the scheme (the exempted provider ) from the application of specified provisions of this Act to an extent prescribed in the scheme. 25 Approval of exemption scheme (1) The Minister may approve an exemption scheme if the Minister is satisfied, on application by a licensed provider or an applicant for an interactive gambling licence— (a) the exemption scheme complies with the criteria for approval of exemption schemes; and Page 26 Current as at [Not applicable]
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 26] (b) the approval of the exemption scheme is warranted in the circumstances of the particular case. Examples— 1 The Minister may consider an exemption scheme warranted if the interactive games are to be conducted by or for the benefit of a charity and the proceeds are to be devoted to charitable purposes. 2 The Minister may consider an exemption scheme warranted if a game authorised under another Act involves interactive elements (and therefore falls within the definition of an interactive game) but is to be substantially conducted under the other Act. (2) An exemption scheme complies with the criteria for approval of exemption schemes if (and only if) the Minister is satisfied— (a) the standards of probity required under this Act for providers of interactive games and those involved in the conduct of interactive games will not be compromised by the approval of the scheme; and (b) adequate and appropriate safeguards will exist to ensure the fairness of the interactive games to be conducted under the scheme and to protect the interests of players; and (c) adequate and appropriate safeguards will exist to prevent participation in the interactive games to be conducted under the scheme by minors; and (d) the scheme provides for other adequate and appropriate safeguards to ensure that the public interest is not affected in an adverse and material way by the conduct of interactive games under the scheme. (3) For this Act, a game authorised under an approved exemption scheme is an authorised game. 26 Cancellation of approval (1) The Minister may, by written notice to an exempted provider, cancel the approval of an exemption scheme if the Minister is of the opinion the scheme no longer complies with the criteria for approval of exemption schemes. Current as at [Not applicable] Page 27
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 2 Interactive gambling [s 27] (2) However, the Minister may only cancel the approval of an approved exemption scheme after giving the exempted provider written notice of the proposed cancellation and the reasons for it and allowing the exempted provider a reasonable opportunity to make representations. Not authorised —indicative only 27 Termination of approved exemption scheme An approved exemption scheme terminates if— (a) the approval was given for a specified period and the period comes to an end; or (b) the Minister cancels the approval under this division. 28 Gazette notice (1) The Minister must have notice published in the gazette of— (a) the approval of an exemption scheme; or (b) the cancellation of the approval of an exemption scheme. (2) Notice of the approval of an exemption scheme must state an address at which interested members of the public may inspect, or obtain a copy of, the exemption scheme. Division 6 General validation of authorised activities 29 Lawful activities Despite any other law, the following activities are lawful— (a) the conduct of an authorised game, under this Act, by a person authorised under this Act or a corresponding law to conduct the game; (b) the advertisement and promotion (subject to this Act) of an authorised game; Page 28 Current as at [Not applicable]
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 3 Interactive gambling licences [s 30] (c) activities of an agent conducted under this Act and the relevant agency agreement; (d) participation (subject to this Act) as a player in an authorised game; (e) the doing of anything else required or authorised to be done under this Act. Part 3 Interactive gambling licences Division 1 Applications for, and issue of, interactive gambling licences 30 Application for interactive gambling licence (1) An application for an interactive gambling licence must be in an approved form. (2) An application must be accompanied by any application fee prescribed under a regulation. (3) The Minister may, by written notice given to an applicant for an interactive gambling licence, require the applicant to give the Minister further information or a document that is necessary and reasonable to help the Minister decide the application. 31 Consideration of application (1) The Minister must consider an application for an interactive gambling licence and either grant or refuse to grant the application. (2) Despite subsection (1), the Minister is required to consider an application for an interactive gambling licence by a natural person only if the applicant agrees to having the applicant’s photograph and fingerprints taken. Current as at [Not applicable] Page 29
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 3 Interactive gambling licences [s 32] 32 Conditions for granting application (1) The Minister may grant an application for an interactive gambling licence only if the Minister is satisfied— (a) the applicant is a suitable person to hold an interactive gambling licence; and (b) each business or executive associate of the applicant is a suitable person to be associated with a licensed provider’s operations. (2) However, the Minister may refuse to grant an application even if the Minister is satisfied of the matters mentioned in subsection (1). 33 Suitability of applicant to hold interactive gambling licence (1) In deciding whether an applicant is a suitable person to hold an interactive gambling licence, the Minister may have regard to the following matters— (a) the applicant’s character or business reputation; (b) the applicant’s current financial position and financial background; (c) if the applicant is not an individual—whether the applicant has, or has arranged, a satisfactory ownership, trust or corporate structure; (d) whether the applicant has, or is able to obtain, appropriate resources and appropriate services; (e) whether the applicant has the appropriate business ability to conduct interactive games successfully under an interactive gambling licence; (f) if the applicant has a business association with another entity— (i) the entity’s character or business reputation; and (ii) the entity’s current financial position and financial background; Page 30 Current as at [Not applicable]
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 3 Interactive gambling licences [s 34] (g) anything else prescribed under a regulation. (2) In subsection (1)— appropriate resources means financial resources— (a) adequate, in the Minister’s opinion, to ensure the financial viability of operations conducted under an interactive gambling licence; and (b) available from a source that is not, in the Minister’s opinion, tainted with illegality. appropriate services means the services of persons who have appropriate experience to ensure the proper and successful conduct of interactive games. 34 Suitability of business and executive associates In deciding whether a business or executive associate of an applicant for an interactive gambling licence is a suitable person to be associated with a licensed provider’s operations, the Minister may have regard to the following matters— (a) the person’s character or business reputation; (b) the person’s current financial position and financial background; (c) if the person has a business association with another entity— (i) the entity’s character or business reputation; and (ii) the entity’s current financial position and financial background; (d) anything else prescribed under a regulation. 35 Investigations of suitability of persons (1) The chief executive may investigate an applicant for an interactive gambling licence to help the Minister decide whether the applicant is a suitable person to hold an interactive gambling licence. Current as at [Not applicable] Page 31
Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 3 Interactive gambling licences [s 36] (2) The chief executive may investigate a business or executive associate of an applicant for an interactive gambling licence to help the Minister decide whether the business or executive associate is a suitable person to be associated with a licensed provider’s operations. Not authorised —indicative only 36 Decision on application (1) If the Minister decides to grant an application for an interactive gambling licence, the Minister must promptly issue an interactive gambling licence to the applicant. (2) If the Minister decides to refuse to grant an application for an interactive gambling licence, the Minister must promptly give the applicant written notice of the decision. 37 Conditions of licence The Minister may issue an interactive gambling licence— (a) on conditions the Minister considers necessary or desirable for the proper conduct of interactive games; and (b) on other conditions the Minister considers necessary or desirable in the public interest. 38 Form of licence (1) An interactive gambling licence must be in the approved form. (2) The approved form must provide for the inclusion of the following particulars— (a) the licensed provider’s name; (b) the date of issue of the licence; (c) the term for which the licence is (subject to this Act) to remain in force; (d) the conditions of the licence; (e) other particulars prescribed under a regulation. Page 32 Current as at [Not applicable]
Not authorised —indicative only Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998 Part 3 Interactive gambling licences [s 39] 39 Changing conditions of licence (1) The Minister may decide to change the conditions of an interactive gambling licence, if the Minister considers it is necessary or desirable to make the change for the proper conduct of authorised games by the licensed provider or otherwise in the public interest. (2) However, if a condition of an interactive gambling licence is designated in the licence as a condition that may be changed only by agreement between the Minister and the licensed provider, the condition may be changed only by agreement between those persons. (3) If the Minister decides to change conditions of an interactive gambling licence under