Skip to main content

Crown Resorts and Aristocrat Technologies Face Legal Test over Gambling Addiction

The addictive side of the gambling world is no secret to anybody and there are many examples of how it can affect our lives in various ways, from bringing tons of profit to leaving players with less than nothing. The deceptive nature of the titles which can be played on the Dolphin Treasure machine available at the Crown Casino in Melbourne led to the first of its kind legal case against the developers of pokies games.

A big part of the addictive nature of electronic games can be reasoned by the colorful graphics and immersive gameplay they have on offer. Every title strives to be better than before and provide more bells and whistles to the casino player willing to win a small fortune by playing a game which reminds them of their innocent child years. This is what gaming developers have always relied on and they have become better at it with time.

Aristocrat Technologies Australia is the manufacturer of the notorious Dolphin Treasure gaming machine. Together with Crown Resorts, they are defendants in the pro-bono legal test which is led by the Federal Court of Australia. The aim of the case which is scheduled to continue 14 days is to showcase the deceptive and misleading behavior of the gaming machines located in casino venues. According to some of the arguments in favor of this statement, the specific design of every pokie machine is what is affecting the behavior of the poker player.

Wonderland at the Tips of Your Fingers

Casino players have the chance to completely leave the world behind them and isolate themselves from their surroundings when they play on one of those casino gaming machines, but what is concerning the authorities of Australia is that the Dolphin Treasure machines are deliberately deceiving them on their chances of winning the big jackpot. This could be confirmed by former pokies addict Shonica Guy, who is being represented by law firm Maurice Blackburn in this case. Her ultimate goal in this legal venture is to start the conversation about the true nature of gaming machines design and how this could affect players’ lives.

She claims that the Dolphin Treasure machines violate consumer law, but she is not seeking any damages. This, however, will prove damaging to both Crown Casino and Aristocrat, since they will be forced to remove the said machines or improve their design. What is concerning the former gambling addict is that the machine’s reels and symbols are designed in such way as to leave the player with the impression that they have a bigger chance of winning. Miss Guy has spent 14 years of her life playing on pokies and she wants to prevent other people from the damage which this habit causes to both the casino player and people around them.



 Author: Harrison Young

Harrison Young is an experienced writer, who started his career almost 8 years ago. Prior to joining our team at CasinoGamesPro, he worked as an editor for a small magazine.
»