Councillors for the City of Ballarat have launched a campaign to reduce the cap on poker machines. This week, they will be meeting with the Victorian Gaming Minister to discuss the possibility of further limiting the number of poker machines that are permitted in the country. In August, Councillor Joshua Morris put forth a motion that requested support from his peers with regards to the number of pokies in the city.

He hoped that they would back his claim that Ballarat’s current cap of 663 games is too high. Currently, there are eight pokies for every 1000 residents in the city. According to Mr Morris, that is much higher than the state’s average. This week, the council voted in favour of Mr Morris motion, and they will be taking their concerns to the next level of government.

“If we can reduce the number of machines we can lessen the harm,” says Mr Morris. “I’d like to think we’ve got a good prospect. It’s something we’ve taken a really strong stance on as a council.” The Ballarat City Council initially wanted to see the current cap reduced by 30%, but they have reduced their demands.

Now, they want at least 48 poker machines to be removed from the community, likely resulting in a decline in gambling spending across the city. Mr Morris and his peers hope that Gaming Minister Michael O’Brien will support his campaign. Mr O’Brien has already shown his support for the state’s ATM ban in pokie clubs, as he is a proponent of gambling harm reduction in Victoria.

As such, Ballarat councillors are optimistic that Mr O’Brien will support their plea to reduce the number of pokies in their city.

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.