After a lengthy hearing process, the Ballarat City Council has decided to allow poker machines to be installed in the Central Business District. For months, the council has heard submissions from various members of the community – and it has finally decided that the best course of action would be to permit pokies in the area.
Last week, the majority of Ballarat City councillors voted in favour of an amendment to the Ballarat Gaming Policy Framework. The amendment permits pokies to exist in the CBD; it would be the first time ever that this would be allowed. The next step for the council is to obtain approval from the state government in order to make the city’s CBD exempt from a law that prohibits pokies in strip shopping centres.
Across the states, pokie operators are prohibited from installing pokies in areas in which the majority of the premises are shops. This is because they could possibly attract vulnerable individuals who otherwise would not be around poker machines. Although they would like to see pokies in the Central Business District, Ballarat city councillors are still dedicated to keeping pokies out of disadvantaged areas.
In many cities, there is a high concentration of poker machines in low income areas, and the city council hopes to prevent this from happening in Ballarat. The council also wants to maintain the ban on pokies in areas that are close to schools and welfare venues. The only venue in the Central Business District that will not house pokies is Bridge Mall.
Vendors in the mall fought hard against the amendment, as they feared that pokies would not only offer steep competition but also attract vulnerable individuals such as young people and problem gamblers. However, other shopping strips in the area will not receive the same treatment.
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