The owners of Victoria’s Sphinx Hotel wish to increase revenue and attract more customers by adding new pokies to their venue. Local politicians are having a difficult time believing that this is the best course of action and, as a bargaining chip, the venue operator has promised to use the funds generated by the new machines to donate to problem gambling services.

Poker machines were originally introduced into Australian pubs and clubs in order to raise money for local initiatives and community programs. Over the years, a number of problem gamblers have found themselves addicted to pokies, so city councils are cautious when it comes to allowing clubs to install new games. That’s why the owners of the Sphinx Hotel have made this proposition.

Local councilors agreed that the Sphinx Hotel would be able to install new pokies if its owners met a number of conditions. Firstly, they would have to make an annual donation of $7500 each year to problem gambling services. The owners will also have to build a partition that separates the gaming floor from the hotel’s bistro, so as not to expose vulnerable parties to gambling activities.

In Victoria, local politicians are getting tough on pokies, and this decision is a reflection of that. In addition to introducing new laws aimed at promoting responsible gambling, city councilors are also making it difficult for venues to add new pokies. Over the course of the last year, more than half of clubs’ requests for new games were contested or denied.

It seems that, in the future, club owners will have to work out a similar negotiation to the one coined by the owners of the Sphinx Hotel. Those who operate poker machines will have to assume more responsibility for rising gambling addiction rates by contributing more to local services that aim to help problem gamblers, such as counselling, education and research programs.

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.