The Queensland government has recently decided to pass lockout laws similar to those in Sydney, which require bars and nightclubs to close their doors to new patrons at 1:30am and stop serving drinks at 3am. On the Gold Coast, the same laws will be enacted, and Jupiters Casino will be the only venue that does not have to submit to the same restrictions.

While nightclubs and bars will have to turn away patrons stop serving alcohol at a particular time, Jupiters Casino will be able to keep operating as usual. The casino will be able to accept new patrons at any time of night and it will not have to reduce its service hours. Jupiters’ bar will remain open until 5am while the rest of the bars across the city will close at 3am.

This has caused club owners across the Gold Coast to become outraged. They are certain that the newly passed lockout laws will ‘ruin’ the city’s nightlife. Taking Sydney as an example, they are concerned that the lockout will be harmful, causing a decline in business and possible closures of venues.

“What really annoys me is (the politicians) must know this because they have seen the evidence (in Sydney),” says John Hussey, who owns the Shooters nightclub in Surfers Paradise. “The statistics from Kings Cross (in Sydney with its 1.30am lockout) show an 84 per cent reduction in foot traffic.” Across Sydney, many beloved bars and nightclubs have been forced to close their doors in light of the lockout laws.

Many other venues have had to lay off a significant portion of their workforce. As such, Gold Coast nightclub owners are fearful that they will see a similar fate. While Jupiters stands to benefit from other local venues closing their doors early, the casino operator will not change its operating hours to cater to locked-out partygoers.

The venue could extend  the service hours of its bar, but Star Entertainment head Geoff Hogg does not want to attract patrons that are looking for a place to drink after last call at other bars. “We are not of the view it will be good for our business,” he says, choosing to cater to Jupiters’ out-of-town visitors instead.

“When people wake up at 5 or 6 in the morning as tourists in our 600 hotel rooms, you want those people to feel fresh and focused on the options we deliver at that time of the morning, like breakfast”.

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.