Bendigo councillors are now considering the Shamrock Hotel’s request to add 20 new pokies to the property. The new games will helped to fund renovations for the property, and hotel owner Jim Hogan stated that he will give up the plans if he does not receive permission to install the new pokies.
Mr Hogan wants to spend $4 million to renovate the Shamrock Hotel, and he states that the renovations cannot be carried out unless he is able to install 20 new pokies in the gaming lounge. The renovations would build up to ten five-star serviced apartments to attract new visitors to the hotel and generate more tourism for Bendigo.
"I'll walk away if these don't get approved, which will be a real shame for Bendigo," says Mr Hogan. According to the Bendigo Advertiser, councillors Elise Champan and Helen Leach supported the request. They argued that the new pokies would not raise gambling spending rates in the city, but several other councillors were not in agreement.
The opposition also cited a survey in which 86% of respondents stated that they do not support the addition of new pokies in the city. Councillors also note that the plan to install new pokies may violate regulations that prevent gaming machines from being located within strip malls. However, since there are already 45 pokies at the Shamrock Hotel, this argument may not prevail.
Should the council decide to approve the request to add new pokies, the owner of the Shamrock Hotel will have to seek planning permission from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. So, it is certainly an uphill climb for the Jim Hogan, as he aims to install new pokies to help fund his hotel renovations.
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