In the Australian Capital Territory, it is against government policy for casinos to host poker machine machines. After years of abiding by these rules, Casino Canberra is attempting to transgress. To obtain the right to host pokies, the casino operator has offered a seemingly generous exchange to the local politicians – but they do not seem very impressed.

According to the Canberra Times, Casino Canberra owns a great deal of land that could greatly benefit the National Convention Centre. The casino operator has offered this land to the ACT government free of charge; its only request is a regulatory change that would allow Casino Canberra to install 200 pokies.

''There is no policy rationale for the current prohibition on the Canberra casino from operating gaming machines,” reads the operator’s proposal. Representatives of Casino Canberra state that the gambling venue could provide a steady source of revenue for the local economy. However, they claim that this is not entirely possibly without gaming machines.

The addition of 200 pokies would allow the casino operator to generate more income that would benefit the community at large. A proposal from the casino states that pokies would generate $4 million in additional gaming revenue for the state. ACT politicians are not convinced. They are sticking to their guns, standing by the policy that restricts casinos from hosting poker machines.

However, Chief Minister Katy Gallagher’s spokesperson stated that politicians would consider the proposal. Unfortunately, the outlook seems bleak. The proposal has also failed to impressed National Convention Centre managers. They feel that the offer has come at an inopportune time.

Rather than expanding the existing convention centre property, they are interested in building a new venue at Lake Burley Griffin. According to Robyn Hendry of the Canberra Convention Bureau, the proposal would have seen more success several years ago, when the centre was being refurbished. Now, the offer seems futile.

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.