The Shamrock Hotel in Bendigo has submitted an application for the installation of 20 new gaming machines. The new games would bring the hotel’s total number of pokies up to 65, so there is likely to be some disagreement among community members as to whether or not new games should be installed. The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) has issued a survey on the topic.

Local residents will be able to voice their opinions on whether or not the Shamrock Hotel should be allowed to install an additional 20 gaming machines. To help residents provide more informed answers, the VCGLR provides some background information on pokies in the City of Greater Bendigo. According to the commission, there are 11 venues in the city that host 614 poker machines.

Currently, the cap is set at 754 games, so there is still room for more pokies in the city. However, gaming machine spending in Greater Bendigo is worth $45.3 million, so that may be cause for concern among local residents. The survey also provides some interesting insight into hotel’s application for new games. The extra 20 pokies will result in player losses between $551 000 to $649 000 during their first year.

The survey also notes that a portion of the profits will be used to renovate and expand the Shamrock Hotel. Residents of Bendigo are known for their opposition to new pokies, as evidenced by their fight against new gaming machines at the local stadium. After a year-long fight at the VCAT, the stadiums owners ultimately won the right to install new games at the venue.

At the moment, residents have yet to raise concerns about the Shamrock Hotel’s application for new pokies, but there is still time. The survey is open until January 17th, 2014. Residents who wish to voice their opinions on the matter can view the survey here: http://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/Residents_and_Services/Strategy_unit/Current_Projects/Application_to_increase_the_number_of_Gaming_Machines_at_the_Shamrock_Hotel.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.