The state government for Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) has announced that it is lowering the statewide cap on poker machines by 40—from 1699 to 1659—in the latest attempt to bolster responsible gaming efforts.
The new mandate excludes the machine counts at the state’s two brick-and-mortar casinos, which are operated under different agreements.
According to Chansey Paech, the state’s gaming minister, the cap has been lowered three times since 2016, when the Labor government first took office. Overall, about 200 machines have been slashed in that time.
Officials also confirmed that the ongoing nine-month moratorium on new machines in the town of Alice Springs has now been dissolved. The moratorium was first enacted in response to community pushback after hotel and bar owners in the area applied for 60 more units.
The applications for 40 of those machines have since been pulled, but the applications for the other 20, to be housed at the Gap View Hotel and Todd Tavern, are still pending.
Even though the reduction doesn’t affect the Mindil Beach Casino or the Lasseters Hotel Casino, Paech confirmed that they will be tasked with implementing other harm minimization efforts.
“Our government is aware that problem gambling creates a significant public health risk to communities across the NT, and that’s why we are doing what we can to reduce availability of gaming machines,” Paech told the Australian Associated Press.
“We continue to promote responsible gambling and provide ongoing funding for research as well as community-based support services,” he concluded.
