As Ballarat City Council considers new poker machine license applications for the Central Business District (CBD), there is the possibility that the Bridge Mall could be made a pokie-free area in the city. This week, an independent planning panel will present its report on the subject, and city councillors will determine whether or not they should continue to restrict pokies from being licensed in the shopping centre.

The city council is reviewing pokie applications to ensure that poker machines are not located in local neighbourhoods. The aim of this initiative is to reduce the potential harm that pokies can cause for vulnerable individuals, such as underage players and problem gamblers. Bridge Mall traders want to ensure that this restriction will apply to the centre, so that patrons are not tempted to gamble.

“The Bridge Mall Traders Association wants to protect the Bridge Mall’s integrity as a retail and business service centre and argues that gaming venues do not belong where a high concentration of people will be located and where convenience gaming could be encouraged,” says John Marios, manager of the Bridge Mall Traders Association. Additionally, pokies will compete with the sales of traders that are located in the Bridge Mall.

Not only will traders have to compete amongst themselves; they will also have to compete against pokies, one of the most popular leisure activities in Australia. So, the allowance of pokies in the mall would be detrimental to the community in more ways than one. Currently, there are 31 pokie venues in Ballarat with 631 poker machines. The city’s poker machine cap is 663, so there is room for more pokies in Ballarat.

However, Bridge Mall wants to keep them out. Several other business owners in the Central Business District feel the same way, but it still remains to be seen, whether or not pokies will be permitted in the area.

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.