The government of Australian Capital Territory is considering banning pokies in casinos, but Casino Canberra has threatened politicians with severe job cuts should a ban be enacted. According to the international owners of the casino, over 300 jobs may be lost as a result of banning poker machines from the venue. "A casino without slot machines is not really a casino,'' says Dr. Karl Stoss, one of the owners of the casino brand.
Originally, the owners of the company considered adding up to 200 more machines to Canberra Casino in order to become viable competition to local pokies clubs. They believe that, in order to fight inflation and compete with other venues, poker machines are the answer. Currently, Casino Canberra is barely making a profit.
The casino has just about broke even every year since it opened in 1992. Owners of the venue state that they would be able to contribute more taxes to the community if they were allowed to install more pokies; however, the casino – and community – would likely suffer greatly if a ban were enacted on the machine.