Employees working in pubs run by ALH Group, a unit of Australian conglomerate Woolworths Group Ltd., are allegedly secretly recording personal information about high-turnover gambling customers to increase poker machine revenue.
Citing information obtained by Independent Member for Denison Andrew Wilkie that was shared to Fairfax Media, The Sydney Morning Herald reported Feb. 27 that the staff allegedly use the information to encourage customers to stay in the venue and "increase their losses." According to the report, revenue generated by ALH's poker machines accounts for 10% of Woolworths' annual revenue.
Moreover, the workers reportedly store the information in a Google drive that circulates among all pubs owned by the group in Australia. Screenshots of the database also show that the workers are rewarded when betting targets are reached or broken, the Herald said.
Wilkie disclosed the development in a speech to Parliament on Feb. 28.
"This isn't just basic information. It's things like jobs, times people come in, favorite drinks, favorite football teams, whether they have a partner and what their preferred bet level is. This is all so staff can better bond with patrons and keep them onsite and gambling longer," Wilkie said.
In response, Woolworths said in a statement that it will expand the independent review of ALH's gaming operations by Canada's Responsible Gaming Council, which began in late 2017, to include the allegations raised by Wilkie.
