Many aspects of the Code of Practice will occur behind the scenes in venues and won't be readily visible to customers, such as staff training.

But there will be a number of things that you should either see or you should be able to access if your local venue is committed to the Code of Practice.

Your venue should clearly display a statement about their commitment to responsible gambling.
You should see signs displaying the Gambling Helpline number and takeaway cards with details of local Gambling Help providers. These signs should displayed in gambling areas and near ATM/EFTPOS facilities.
Venue staff should be able to provide you with information about the odds of winning major prizes.

All venues should have at least one Customer Liaison officer, who can provide information and assistance to people experiencing problems with their gambling.

Since May 2005, all gambling providers have a have a legal duty to exclude a patron when the patron requests to be self-excluded.
If a person requests to be excluded they should be supported in their request and provided with information about their rights and responsibilities and provided with contact details for their local Gambling Help service.
If a person is excluded from a venue they should not receive promotional material from the venue which promotes gambling and should not be allowed to enter the venue to gamble.

Minors are prohibited from gambling and are not permitted to enter designated gambling areas.
Venue staff should not serve drinks to patrons playing gaming machines.
Customers who are unduly intoxicated should not be allowed to continue gambling.
Venues should display clocks in the gaming areas so customers are aware of the passage of time.
Venues should also promote other activities which may be taking place e.g. entertainment, trivia nights, meal specials.
You might hear announcements about other activities or letting you know the time.
Tea and coffee facilities should be located away from the gaming machines.

ATMs should be located away from gambling areas, where safe and practicable.
Venue staff should not provide credit or lend money to anyone for the purposes of gambling.

In 2005, the Queensland Responsible Gambling Advertising and Promotions Guideline was released. It provides information for gambling licensees to ensure their advertising and promotions are delivered in a responsible manner.

If your venue is committed to responsible gambling then you should expect that:

- Gambling activities will not dominate advertisements or promotions,    especially where there are other activities to promote.
- Advertising won't use phrases such as "always win with us" or "this is a lucky venue".
- Gambling will not be promoted as a guaranteed or quick way to get rich.
- Advertisements or promotions about gambling won't target minors, the unemployed, the retired, people who are in financial difficulty or any other vulnerable group.

If your venue is not demonstrating their commitment to responsible gambling what can you do?

In the first instance you should ask to speak to the venue manager and/or the Customer Liaison Officer to discuss your concerns.

If you don't feel that the issue has been resolved to your satisfaction you can:

Contact the peak industry body to discuss any issues you might be encountering with the venue.
Contact phone numbers are:

Clubs Queensland    (07) 3252 0770

Queensland Hotels Association  (07) 3221 6999

Casinos -  Treasury,  Brisbane

Responsible Gambling Manager (07) 33068730;

General Switchboard 1800 506 889 

Jupiters, Gold Coast  

Responsible Gambling Manager (07) 5592 8658

General Switchboard (07) 5592 8100

Jupiters, Townsville  

General Switchboard (07) 4722 2333

Reef Casino, Cairns  (07) 4030 8888

UNiTAB     (07) 3637 1500

 

You can also contact the Queensland Office of Gaming Regulation to lodge a complaint about a specific venue:
 Phone (07) 3224 4564
 Freecall 1800 064 848
 Email codeofpractice@treasury.qld.gov.au