Crown Melbourne has been fined $120 million by the gambling regulator over breaches of its responsible service obligations. 

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) imposed the fines after it found the casino failed to prevent gambling harm by allowing customers to gamble for long periods without a break.

The VGCCC said customers were sometimes allowed to gamble for more than 24 hours at a time.

It also found the casino failed to comply with a statutory declaration to stop patrons using plastic picks and other devices to simulate "automatic play" on pokie machines.

VGCCC chairperson Fran Thorn said Crown failed in its "legal and moral obligation" to minimise gambling-related harm to its patrons.

"The record fines totalling $120 million that we have imposed on Crown today will send a powerful message to Crown that the Commission will not tolerate misconduct that exposes our community to increased risks of gambling related harm," she said.

Ms Thorn said the breaches were "not isolated".

"They were a pattern of extensive, sustained and systemic failures by Crown that spanned roughly 12 years," she said.

"The stories of financial loss, of suicide attempts, of forced sex work. The people who gambled for two to three days straight. These are real stories of real harm. We cannot forget and we cannot tolerate it."

The VGCCC said the casino even supplied patrons with Crown-branded picks which were the used to jam down play buttons on pokie machines.

Ms Thorn said Crown was “on probation”.

“In about 15 months’ time, the commission will be making a decision to determine whether or not Crown is suitable to continue to hold its licence —and if it loses its licence, if it is found not to be suitable, then it is a much bigger hit than $100 million.”

Crown 'genuinely remorseful'

"We are genuinely remorseful for the failings of the past, and we are committed to becoming a world leader in the delivery of safe and responsible gaming and entertainment," a Crown Resorts spokesperson said. 

In a statement, Crown said it had invested heavily in its remediation program, including Responsible Gaming resources, and that its recently appointed leadership team was "driving a whole-of-company transformation program designed to uplift the culture and build a better Crown."

"While considerable work has been undertaken as part of the reform and remediation program, Crown is the first to acknowledge there is a lot more to be done," the spokesperson said.

"We will continue to work cooperatively and constructively with the VGCCC and the government to address this and other issues raised in the Victorian Royal Commission Report."

Tim Costello from the Alliance for Gambling Reform said the VGCCC had sent a strong message with the fine.

"This is a record fine by a regulator with backbone. Crown has been found for its utterly predatory practices and it should send a message," he said.

The VGCCC said Crown had accepted the disciplinary action and the need for it to continue working on reforms.

It is the second time the VGCCC has used its stronger enforcement powers to take action against the casino operator.

Earlier this year, the regulator issued a $80 million fine to Crown for having a scheme that allowed the illegal transfer of funds from China.