Aquis Entertainment’s plans to retool Casino Canberra into a major player in Australian gaming have been dealt a potential blow by a key member of the ACT Parliament who says he will not approve machine gaming at the property unless it comes with bet and prize limits mandatory pre-commitments from players on their losses.
Green Party MP Shane Rattenbury holds the balance of power in the ACT parliament and his position puts a significant hurdle in the way of Aquis’ plans to spend A$307 million redeveloping the city center site with a larger casino, a five-star hotel with luxury villas, new restaurants, nightclubs and bars and a shopping mall.
Slot machine revenues are seen as vital to Aquis’ ability to make the investment pay, and already the casino has seen its request for 500 machines slashed by the government to 200, and even that has the local clubs, which hold a monopoly on machine gaming in the ACT, up in arms.
The clubs are running a campaign to unseat Rattenbury and Chief Minister Andrew Barr ahead of elections in October and have set up a political party, Canberra Community Voters, to field candidates at the election.
Rattenbury is calling for a bet limit of $1 a spin, compared to the clubs’ $10 ceiling, and a pre-set limit on losses of no more than $120 an hour.
The government, meanwhile, is expected to introduce legislation in the first half of August to formally endorse machine gaming at the casino and to set tax rates and a community levy.
