Across Australia, there are some strict laws against building poker machine venues within a certain distance of residential areas – but, what about when there are plans to build a residential area near a pokie club? A current case at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) aims to get to the bottom of such an issue.
A report in The Age notes that Maribyrnong councillors are currently in a fight against the Western Bulldogs plans for the Edgewater Club. The $30 million pokie club will be The Bulldogs’ biggest commercial venture, and it will double the team’s number of pokies. In addition to being a pokie club, it will also feature 12 split-level apartments on the fifth floor.
The councillors have taken issue with the fact that apartments will be housed in the same building as poker machines. According to Mayor Nam Quach, the apartments were a last-minute addition to the building by the developer, Prizac. "It's sneaky, cheeky and takes the community for granted,” he says.
“To sneak this in at the back end puts the council in a very difficult position.” Without the apartments, the Edgewater Club is a unique entertainment venue with a sports bar, bistro and café. It will also host 70 gaming machines and feature 50 hotel rooms.
The venue aims to boost the local economy by driving tourism and boosting gaming revenue – but councillors are concerned about the risks of having a residential area so close to a pokie club. Responsible gambling advocates support the councillors’ fight.
Charles Livingstone, a gambling researcher at Monash University argues that it is dangerous to have people living in the same building as gaming machines, as it offers unprecedented access to pokies. "People living in the same building as gaming machines are going to find a unique opportunity for accessibility to gaming,” he states. “It's a bad idea."
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