Last week, The Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation approved a proposal for a new poker machine venue, despite the community’s protests. The opposition to the new venue was one of the biggest the community has ever seen, but the local government seemed to disregard the protest movement and grant the venue a license anyways.

As a result, community members are beginning to wonder just exactly how the approval process for gambling licenses works. According to those opposed to the addition of new poker machines, it seems as though all proposals for new gambling venues are approved, without determining the social costs. The Sydney Morning Herald published some statistics that seem to support these claims.

For example, of 38 venue applications that the regulator saw over the course of the past year, only one was rejected. This demonstrates that just about any proposal will be approved, regardless of what the community thinks. “The commission process is seriously flawed, and the governing legislative regime, deficient”, the report says.

As such, the local gambling regulator may want to rethink its licensing practices in the future, taking a more discerning approach to approving proposals for new gambling venues.

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.