After months of back-and-forth, the owner of Bendigo’s Shamrock Hotel was granted permission by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation to install 20 new pokies. However, that was only half of the battle, and now it is up to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to weigh in. The new pokies fit well within the Bendigo’s gaming machine cap of 756 games.

Since there are only 614 pokies in the city, the Shamrock hotel’s new games would bring the total to 634. Still, residents of Bendigo are not pleased that the venue has been granted permission to install the new poker machines, claiming that it is against planning laws to install these games within the Central Business District (CBD). As such, the VCAT has been called in to deliberate on the issue.

Although the VCGLR has already granted permission from a gaming industry perspective, the VCAT must grant approval on a planning premise. "We have what we think is very sound legal advice, I'm sure the Shamrock thinks their legal advice is very sound … the [VCAT] declaration will actually make the path forward clear and everyone will know what the next steps are," says Prue Mansfield, Planning Director for the city council.

"At the moment we can't even predict that because of this fundamental legal question." The new poker machines at the Shamrock Hotel aim to benefit the local economy overall. The pokies will funding a $4 million renovation to install new boutique apartments for rent in the hotel. The venue would aim to attract wealthy tourists into the city, which would benefit all types of local businesses in Bendigo.

Owner Jim Hogan is confident that the new pokies will be the beginning of a positive changes for the Shamrock hotel and the city of Bendigo.

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.