1. Our Commitment to Responsible Gambling

Marcella Grand Inn is committed to providing a safe, fair and enjoyable gaming environment for every guest who chooses to visit our casino facilities. We believe that gambling should always be a form of leisure — freely chosen, conducted within personal limits and enjoyed responsibly. This page sets out the principles, practical tools and support pathways that underpin that commitment.

Responsible gambling is a shared responsibility. Our team is trained to recognise and respond to signs that gambling may no longer be recreational for a guest, and we actively promote the measures described below so that every person in our venue can make informed choices at all times.

2. Adult-Only Access to Gaming Areas

All gaming areas within Marcella Grand Inn are strictly restricted to adults aged 18 years and over. This age requirement is a legal obligation under applicable New South Wales legislation and is rigorously enforced at all times.

2.1 Identification Checks

Any person who appears to be under 25 years of age may be asked to produce valid, government-issued photographic identification before entering a gaming area or placing any wager. Accepted identification documents include, but are not limited to:

• Australian driver licence or learner permit
• Australian passport
• Australian proof-of-age card issued by a state or territory authority
• Foreign passport (current and valid)

Our staff are authorised to refuse entry or remove any person who is unable to provide satisfactory proof of age, or who is reasonably suspected to be under 18 years of age. This decision is final and non-negotiable.

2.2 Responsibility of Accompanying Adults

Adults accompanying minors to non-gaming areas of the property are reminded that persons under 18 must not enter, or attempt to enter, any designated gaming floor or gaming lounge. Adults are expected to supervise minors in their care and to ensure compliance with this policy at all times.

2.3 Reporting Suspected Underage Persons

Guests who believe that a person under 18 is present in, or attempting to access, a gaming area are encouraged to notify any member of Marcella Grand Inn staff immediately. All reports are treated with discretion and acted upon promptly.

3. Gambling Is Optional — You Are Always in Control

Participation in any gaming activity at Marcella Grand Inn is entirely voluntary. Guests are never required to gamble as a condition of staying at the hotel, dining in our outlets, attending an event or enjoying any other facility on the property. Our casino is one part of a broader hospitality experience, and many guests visit us without engaging in gaming at all.

We encourage every guest who does choose to gamble to treat it as a form of entertainment with a cost — not as a means of generating income, solving financial difficulties or recovering previous losses. The house edge means that, over time, spending more than you can comfortably afford is statistically certain to result in financial loss.

3.1 Keeping Gambling in Perspective

Healthy, recreational gambling typically involves the following habits:

• Setting a fixed entertainment budget before play begins and stopping when it is reached
• Treating any winnings as a bonus rather than an expectation
• Gambling only with money that is surplus to essential living expenses
• Balancing gambling with other leisure activities and social commitments
• Never chasing losses by placing larger or unplanned bets
• Taking regular breaks and leaving the gaming floor when tired or distracted

4. Setting Time and Spending Limits

One of the most effective ways to keep gambling enjoyable is to decide on clear personal limits before you begin — and to honour those limits regardless of how a session is progressing.

4.1 Recommended Limit-Setting Approach

4.2 Practical Tools Available at Marcella Grand Inn

Our gaming staff and cage team can assist guests who wish to:

• Leave a portion of their funds with the cage for collection at the end of a session, rather than carrying the full amount onto the floor
• Request a reminder from staff at a pre-agreed time to prompt a break or departure
• Obtain printed information about responsible gambling practices and support contacts

We encourage all guests to use these tools proactively. Asking for assistance is a sign of self-awareness, and our team will respond helpfully and without judgement.

4.3 Managing Access to Funds

Guests are encouraged to carry only the amount they have budgeted for gambling when entering the gaming area. Leaving additional payment cards or cash outside the gaming area — for example, secured in a hotel room safe — is a straightforward and effective way of enforcing a personal spending limit.

5. Recognising Warning Signs

Gambling can sometimes shift from a leisure activity to one that begins to cause difficulty. Being able to notice early warning signs — whether in yourself or in someone you care about — is important.

5.1 Personal Warning Signs

Consider pausing, taking a break or speaking to a support person if you notice any of the following in your own behaviour or thinking:

• Spending more money or time gambling than you originally planned, on a regular basis
• Feeling a strong urge to return and win back losses immediately after a session ends
• Using money set aside for bills, rent, food or other essentials to fund gambling
• Borrowing money specifically to gamble, or to repay gambling-related debts
• Feeling restless, irritable or preoccupied when not gambling
• Neglecting work, study, family or social commitments because of time spent gambling
• Hiding or concealing the extent of your gambling from family, friends or colleagues
• Continuing to gamble despite recognising that it is causing financial or personal difficulties
• Relying on gambling as a way of escaping stress, worry or other uncomfortable feelings

5.2 Signs in Someone You Know

You may notice changes in a friend or family member that suggest gambling may be affecting their wellbeing. These can include:

• Unexplained financial difficulties, requests for loans or changes in spending habits
• Withdrawal from social activities, family gatherings or regular commitments
• Becoming secretive about how they spend their time or money
• Frequently talking about gambling wins and losses in a way that seems preoccupying
• Appearing stressed, anxious or irritable without an obvious cause

If you are concerned about someone, the most helpful step is often simply to open a calm, non-judgmental conversation. The section on trusted contacts below offers further guidance.

5.3 Our Staff Response

Marcella Grand Inn staff are trained to observe guest behaviour in gaming areas and to intervene appropriately where there are signs of distress or loss of control. Staff may approach a guest to check in, offer a break, provide information about support resources or, where necessary, request that a guest leave the gaming area. These interactions are conducted with respect and discretion.

6. Taking Breaks

Regular breaks are one of the simplest and most effective responsible-gambling measures available. Fatigue, hunger and emotional states can all impair decision-making and lead to unplanned spending. We actively encourage all gaming guests to take breaks during their visit.

6.1 Why Breaks Matter

• They interrupt the rhythm of continuous play, making it easier to assess how a session is progressing
• They create a natural opportunity to review whether your original time and spending limits are being kept
• They reduce the risk of fatigue influencing wagers
• They allow emotional states — including excitement after a win or frustration after a loss — to settle before continuing

6.2 Requesting a Break

Guests are welcome to ask any member of our gaming team to be reminded to take a break at a time of their choosing. There is no obligation to return to the gaming floor after a break, and staff will never pressure a guest to resume play. The property's other facilities — including our lobby, outdoor spaces and dining areas — provide comfortable environments to step away and reset.

7. Self-Exclusion at Marcella Grand Inn

Self-exclusion is a voluntary agreement by a guest to be barred from our gaming facilities for a set period. It is a practical, proactive tool for anyone who feels that restricting access to gambling would be beneficial for them.

7.1 How to Apply for Self-Exclusion

To request self-exclusion at Marcella Grand Inn, a guest should speak in person with our gaming manager or duty manager at any time. The self-exclusion process involves:

1. A private meeting with an authorised member of management
2. Completion of a self-exclusion request form, including a recent photograph for identification purposes
3. Selection of an exclusion period
4. Receipt of written confirmation of the exclusion and its terms

7.2 Available Exclusion Periods

7.3 What Self-Exclusion Covers

A self-exclusion agreement at Marcella Grand Inn bars the excluded person from:

• Entering any designated gaming area on the property
• Participating in any wagering or gaming activity conducted by or on behalf of Marcella Grand Inn
• Receiving gaming-related promotional communications from us

During an exclusion period, an excluded guest may still access non-gaming areas of the hotel in the normal way, including accommodation, dining and event spaces.

7.4 Enforcement

Marcella Grand Inn makes every reasonable effort to enforce self-exclusion agreements through staff recognition, photographic records and regular training. Guests who breach a self-exclusion by entering a gaming area may be escorted from that area and reminded of their agreement. Any gaming chips or winnings obtained by a self-excluded person during a breach may be forfeited in accordance with applicable law.

We ask self-excluded guests to support enforcement by not attempting to enter gaming areas during their exclusion period. If you believe you are approaching a point of breach, please speak with our duty manager immediately.

7.5 Reviewing or Ending an Exclusion

A self-exclusion cannot be cancelled or shortened during the agreed minimum period. Requests to review an exclusion at the end of its term must be made in writing to our gaming manager and will involve a short meeting to confirm that the request is voluntary and informed. Contact details for this process are available at the property's main reception desk.

8. Support from Trusted Contacts

Family members, close friends and other trusted people often play a vital role in supporting someone who is experiencing difficulties related to gambling. Marcella Grand Inn recognises the importance of this network and offers the following guidance to concerned family members and friends.

8.1 How Trusted Contacts Can Help

• Start a conversation: Choose a calm, private moment to raise your concerns. Use straightforward, non-accusatory language focused on the behaviours you have observed rather than judgements about the person's character.
• Listen actively: Allow the person to respond in their own words. Avoid interrupting or immediately offering solutions; simply being heard can be valuable.
• Encourage self-awareness: Gently share information about responsible gambling tools and support resources without issuing ultimatums that may cause defensiveness.
• Set personal boundaries: It is reasonable and healthy to decline requests to provide money for gambling or to cover gambling-related debts, while making clear that your concern is for the person's wellbeing.
• Seek support for yourself: Supporting someone affected by problem gambling can be stressful. Trusted contacts are encouraged to seek support through community resources available in New South Wales.

8.2 Third-Party Exclusion Requests

In certain circumstances, an immediate family member or carer may approach Marcella Grand Inn management to discuss concerns about a relative's gambling behaviour on the property. While self-exclusion must ultimately be initiated by the individual themselves, our management team is available to speak confidentially with concerned family members and to explain what responsible-gambling measures and referral options are available. Please ask for the duty manager at any time.

9. Local Responsible Gambling Resources

Gambling support services are available to residents and visitors in New South Wales and across Australia. These services are independent of Marcella Grand Inn and are provided by government and community organisations whose purpose is to assist people affected by gambling-related difficulties — whether personally or as a family member or trusted contact.

9.1 Types of Support Available

Independent support services typically offer:

• Free and confidential telephone and online counselling at any time of day or night
• Face-to-face support sessions, often available in the New England region of New South Wales
• Financial counselling and assistance with debt management arising from gambling
• Support groups for people affected by a family member's or friend's gambling
• Self-help resources, workbooks and online tools for managing gambling habits
• Information about formal state-wide self-exclusion programmes administered by public authorities

9.2 How to Find Support

To locate responsible gambling support services relevant to your situation in New South Wales or Australia, you may:

• Speak with any member of Marcella Grand Inn staff, who can provide printed materials listing current local support contacts
• Contact the relevant New South Wales or Australian government authority responsible for community welfare services, who can direct you to appropriate resources
• Ask your general practitioner or a community health worker to connect you with local gambling support services in the Armidale area

Printed responsible gambling resource guides are available free of charge at the Marcella Grand Inn main reception and at the gaming cashier desk.

9.3 State and National Oversight

Gaming activities in New South Wales are subject to oversight by the relevant state government authority responsible for the regulation of gaming and wagering. That authority publishes guidance, consumer information and information about self-exclusion schemes available in New South Wales. Guests who have concerns about the conduct of gaming operations or who wish to access state-administered responsible gambling programmes are encouraged to contact that authority directly through official New South Wales government channels.

10. Staff Training and Property Standards

All Marcella Grand Inn staff who work in or adjacent to gaming areas receive responsible gambling training as part of their induction and on a periodic refresher basis. This training equips them to:

• Identify and appropriately respond to signs of distress or problematic gambling behaviour
• Engage with guests sensitively on responsible gambling topics without stigma or judgement
• Explain the self-exclusion process and other available tools clearly
• Provide or direct guests to written responsible gambling information
• Escalate concerns to management where a situation requires it

Our gaming floor supervisors and duty managers carry specific responsibility for monitoring the gaming environment and acting on welfare concerns. They are available at all times during gaming floor operating hours and may be approached directly by any guest or staff member with a concern.

11. Gaming Environment Standards

Marcella Grand Inn maintains the following standards within its gaming areas to support informed and responsible participation:

• Clear and accurate information about how each game works, including the house edge where required by applicable regulations
• Prominent display of responsible gambling information, including details of how to access self-exclusion and support resources
• Clocks visible from the gaming floor so that guests can easily monitor time spent
• Ready availability of seating areas outside the gaming floor where guests can rest and reflect without leaving the property
• Staff who will not encourage, solicit or pressurise any guest to continue gambling
• A prohibition on extending credit or loans to guests for the purpose of gambling

12. Contact Us

We welcome feedback on our responsible gambling practices and are happy to discuss any aspect of this policy with guests or members of the public.

For responsible gambling enquiries, self-exclusion requests or to raise a concern about gaming operations at Marcella Grand Inn, please contact:

Our duty manager is available in person during all gaming floor operating hours. Guests are also welcome to submit written feedback addressed to the Gaming Manager at the address above.

13. Policy Review

This Responsible Gambling policy is reviewed by on a regular basis to ensure that it remains current with applicable New South Wales and Australian legislation, regulatory guidance and best practice in the responsible delivery of gaming services. Updates are reflected on this page without prior notice. Guests are encouraged to review this page periodically.

The effective date of the current version of this policy is indicated in the header of this page. Guests with questions about any change to the policy are invited to contact our duty manager directly.