Rattenbury changed his tune
A reported request by Hong-Kong-based Aquis Entertainment for 500 pokies at its Casino Canberra in Australia’s Bush Capital has been shot down by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who says the number is “too high,” reports the Canberra Times. He did not, however, say the government would rule out fewer machines.
“There are certainly elements of the bid that have merit and that will create new jobs,” Barr said.
The Fung family, which owns the casino had appealed to the Australian government to expand the ACT gaming model, saying the casino’s “full-service gaming model” would help bring in big-spending Asian players.
The casino, which currently offers 39 table games, is in the midst of a $330 million redevelopment and expansion of the gaming space and surrounding building, including an upgrade of its convention facilities. The ACT has resisted permitting pokies there because of strong resistance from the clubs of New South Wales. The capital territory is an enclave within the state, which depends on the pokie business exclusive to its private clubs.
State officials have said clubs will close if slots are permitted in the ACT.
But Clubs Australia says the company is really targeting the locals market, and warns that additional competition could have dire consequences for local clubs; after the Star Entertainment Group revamped its Sydney casino, 17 nearby clubs closed. Clubs Australia Executive Director Anthony Ball also disputed an Aquis assertion that pokies could bring in an additional 700,000 new visitors each year to Canberra.
Currently, the Sydney Morning Herald reports, the ACT’s 4,500 poker machines operate in about 50 pubs and clubs, most within 10 kilometers of Canberra.
The support of ACT Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury could decide the issue, reported the Times. During the last election, the Greens came out against any liberalization of poker machine rules and supported their restriction to not-for-profit clubs. But in December, Rattenbury asked his party to reconsider its stance and weigh the potential benefits of pokies in the casino. His position: it might be better to have fewer gambling venues rather than having them “spread throughout the suburbs.”
Clubs ACT CEO Gwyn Rees said Rattenbury is flying in the face of Greens policy; opposing casino expansion, Rees said, was “part of the Greens’ DNA” in other states.
