On 30 November 2017 the Victorian Parliament passed the Gambling Regulation Amendment (Gaming Machine Arrangements) Act 2017. This will mean a number of changes for gaming venue operators.

A number of changes in the amendment come into effect on 20 December 2017. In particular:

• if a person has $2000 or more worth of accumulated credits on an electronic gaming machine, venue operators must pay out these credits by cheque (this was previously required for credits of $1000 or more) or by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
• if accumulated credits on a gaming machine are less than $2000, that amount may be paid out via any payment method (including cash)
• any payment of $2000 or more made via an EFT must be transferred in a way that means they are not available to the person for at least 24 hours after the transfer, and,
• if that is not possible, or the venue does not have the facilities to provide for EFT, the payment of accumulated credits over $2000 or more must be made via cheque.