FCVic has lodged a submission to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) on its Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) application improvement project, dated Tuesday, 16 December 2025. Drawing on the frontline expertise of financial counsellors who specialise in gambling harm, FCVic stresses that gambling harm is complex and intersects with financial stress, addiction, health outcomes, and community wellbeing. The submission underscores research indicating that harm increases with losses and that there is no safe level of EGM consumption, urging the VGCCC to reject applications that would increase community exposure to EGMs. FCVic recommends mandatory, early, and transparent consultation with local therapeutic and financial counsellors, with their full feedback captured in the economic and social impact report rather than summarised.

FCVic supports the use of truly independent experts and asks the VGCCC to scrutinise potential conflicts of interest, including incentives or rewards that may compromise independence. The submission calls for the application form to include clear questions on applicant suitability, disclosure of any disciplinary history, and evidence of remediation, while Practice Note 1 should allow refusal even where net community impact is neutral. Practice Note 2 should promote accessible public hearings and submissions, advertised through trusted local channels. FCVic recommends strengthening community surveys with local gambling harm statistics, reply‑paid mail options, promotion via community hubs, and a ban on incentives that could skew results. It further urges inclusion of local health and addiction data in impact reports and cautions against assuming the mandated 8.33% ‘Community Benefit Scheme’ contribution delivers genuine community benefit, noting evidence that much of it is internally retained by clubs.