The State Government has introduced legislative amendments to the Casino Control Act for all casinos in the state. It said it had delivered on all the recommendations from the Gotterson inquiry which exposed lax money laundering practices at Star’s casinos on the Gold Coast and Brisbane. The inquiry led  to a $100 million fine and a suspension of licence being imposed on the company.

Investors hated it. Shares in Star Entertainment tumbled almost 5 per cent to a record low of 58 cents on news of the planned laws.

The company’s share price has been devastated by the exposure of practices in NSW and Queensland. A year ago it was trading at $2.40.

Star, however, was holding off commenting on the Bill until it can assess the impact of the wide-ranging reforms that not only include controls on gamblers and data collection but also new fines and levies for the casinos and executives.

But a lot of detail on gambling limits has not yet been revealed and is likely to be part of regulations following consultation.

The new laws are also likely to mean that gamblers would be closely watched by casino operators and to some extent the Government with significant data collection on activities.

The legislation, which is expected to go to committee before being voted on, means all gamblers at Queensland casino will have to use a special card that will hold data on their activities.

There will be restrictions on how much cash can be used and there will be mandatory pre-commitment with binding expenditure limits. Gamblers will also be forced to take breaks from activities, but as yet the time frames have not been revealed.

The explanatory notes for the legislation said there would be a collection of player card data relating to player buy-in; player buy-out; play periods; player turnover; player losses and wins; gambling products played; and data that may be needed for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism strategies and the promotion of safer gambling.

The data from the card would then be used to detect patterns of gambling “which may be indicative of gambling harm, allow for the collection of particular player data, and identify and prevent self-excluders from gambling”.

The player cards were likely to stop practices exposed by the inquiry where gamblers walked in to casinos with plastic bags stuffed with cash.

The casinos already have security measures which were beefed up following the Gotterson inquiry. They also have facial recognition and audio surveillance.

The Government Bill provides for a regulation to make rules about the collection and use of player card data, but prevents casino operators from engaging in direct marketing with card holders (or anyone else) without the person’s consent.

The data would, however, be “de-identified” and used for research purposes.

The proposed legislation will increase regulatory scrutiny and require casinos to introduce specific measures to reduce gambling harm and combat money-laundering. Gamblers banned in other states would also be able to be banned in Queensland.

Attorney General Yvette D’Ath said the Palaszczuk Government was committed to ensuring Queensland casinos operated under strict laws that prioritise integrity and gambling harm minimisation.

“This Bill will enable us to continue our work in implementing all 12 recommendations outlined in Mr Gotterson’s review,” she said.

“The new laws will ensure organisations associated with Queensland casinos are subject to inquiries every five years.

“This will assist in determining the ongoing suitability of those organisations.

“Casino executives will be required to undertake particular duties in relation to the operation of a casino, and there will be significant personal penalties for non-compliance.

“There will also be a supervision levy imposed on casino licensees so that the costs of regulating casinos will not be passed onto taxpayers.

“These reforms will continue to modernise Queensland’s gambling and casino laws to ensure they remain effective now and into the future.”