Nightclubs and pubs across South Australia are will have to enforce a new rule called the 3am lockout. The rule is aimed at prevent alcohol-induced violence from taking place in nightclubs by stopped patrons from entering or re-entering bars and nightclubs. All venues in the area will have to enforce the law – except SkyCity Adelaide. In Australia, it is not uncommon for partiers to visit local casinos on their nights out.
Casino complexes host bars, restaurants and nightclubs – everything that a group of friends could want when they’re having a night out on the town. As such, most nightclubs in Adelaide consider SkyCity to be the ‘biggest pub in town’, and the casino operator should also have to submit to the same rules. According to local politicians, the lockout doesn’t aim to shut pubs down at 3am; it only aims to prevent bar-hopping.
When a patron is kicked out of a club or cut off by a bartender, they can simply move on to the next venue. The lockout will prevent drunk patrons from moving on to another venue to have another drink. "Strangely the State Government is going to give the Adelaide Casino an exemption from that," says Ian Horne, of the Australian Hotels Associations (South Australia).
SkyCity Adelaide does not have to enforce these rules because the venue only derives a portion of its profits from alcohol sales. However, this does not negate the fact that it is still one of most popular hang outs for club goers. If SkyCity is the only venue that is exempt, the 3am lockout will only drive more patrons to the casino after the cut off. The 3am lockout is one of many new rules that the state has imposed on clubs.
Other provisions include early morning bans on glassware and happy hour, as well as the use of metal detectors in bars and nightclubs.
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