The Ballarat City Council has decided to ban poker machines from Bridge Mall. While pokies will be permitted within the Central Business District (CBD), they will not be hosted in the city’s major shopping centre. The motion to ban pokies from Bridge Mall was presented in October 2013, when city councillors started a debate over whether or not they should continue to restrict pokie licenses to venues in the shopping centre.

The councillors wanted to reduce the potential harm that poker machines could cause by preventing vulnerable individuals from having easy access to the games. The Bridge Mall Traders Association backed the motion, as members wanted to ensure that patrons would not feel the urge to gamble while they were shopping.

“The Bridge Mall Traders Association argues that gaming venues do not belong where a high concentration of people will be located and where convenience gaming could be encouraged,” said John Marios, manager of the Bridge Mall Traders Association. This week, an independent panel on the issue decided that poker machines would be allowed to operate in the Central Business District but not within Bridge Mall.

Local businesses located in the shopping centre applaud the decision. Bridge Mall is a property that is frequented by a wide range of community members, including underage individuals. As such, it would seem inappropriate for poker machines to be located in the shopping centre. Locals visit Bridge Mall to go shopping and they should not feel compelled to gamble while they are visiting the location.

Now, shoppers can rest assured that they will not be tempted by pokies and electronic gaming devices when they visit Bridge Mall for a shopping trip.

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.