This week, the Fyansford Hotel has closed its doors, while the venue undergoes a $1 million renovation. The costly makeover will update the property and make it more attractive to modern patrons, and it will be funding by poker machine profits. As part of the new renovation, the Fyansford Hotel will install at 250-seat bistro, a playground and refurbished four-star accommodation.

The makeover will bring the venue into the 21st Century and attract more local patrons. For the past year, the owners of the Fyansford Hotel have been embroiled in a battle against local community leaders over the installation of 40 new poker machines. P.J. Cook Investments, the firm which planned the redevelopment, stated that the renovations would not proceed if the pokies were not installed.

However, local city council members feared that the new games would have a negative impact on the community. The VCAT ruled in favour of PJ. However, the council imposed some conditions. Firstly, the venue would have to donate $40 000 to community organizations every year, regardless of pokie profits.

The property will also have to be inspected after the renovations in order to ensure that the hotel suitable for gaming, meeting all harm minimisation requirements. Since there is a cap on the number of pokies that are permitted in the area, the Fyansford’s approval meant that other venues would have to surrender some games.

As such, the Gateway Hotel, the Sphinx and the Norlane Hotel reduced the number of their games so that the Fyansford Hotel could install 40 new pokies. The result of this decision will benefit the local community by attracting more visitors to the Fyansford Hotel. At 160-years-old, the venue is a historic landmark, and its new pokie-funded amenities will continue to bring members of the community together.

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.