Casino Canberra is well on its way to implementing up to 200 poker machines and about 60 fully automated table games in its venue. The change comes following the passing of a legislation which happened last week and in which the Legislative Assembly agreed on allowing the casino venue to operate the machines. The facility will have to undergo a process of renovating the site and implement many harm-minimization measures as a part of the new project.
This will be the first time since the building of the casino venue that poker machines and automate table games will be introduced to the customers and be there on offer. Thanks to the Casino Electronic Gaming Act which was issued this year, such devices will no longer be available in clubs and hotels only, but they will move to the casino venue as well. According to Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay, the new regulation is going to remove the redundant monopoly and let Casino Canberra acquire existing gaming machine authorizations.
Improvements Following the New Framework
The new framework encourages the harm-minimization measures which are essential in the context of Australia’s surging problem gambling rates. Mr. Ramsay stated that the minimization of the negative aftereffects of gambling is a crucial step in the process of improving the situation the country is currently in. In the meantime, the area is expected to benefit from the introduction of these gaming machines and tables since they will include taxes for operations which will be paid to the government. There are however some additional procedures which should be performed in the casino.
A social impact assessment is expected to be provided and made public for the community to comment in order to make the bigger picture clearer. The time period which is required for commenting should not be less than eight weeks. Furthermore, the site of the venue should go through a substantial redevelopment which will accommodate the new gaming devices and this is when the official operation could commence. According to the owner of the site Aquis Entertainment, more than A$330 million will be spent on the redevelopment of the venue and modernizing the facility in a way which will please both the customers and the employees.
The new venue will introduce the customers to a resort-level of entertainment and it will also offer dining options as well as retail facilities for all tastes. As it was stated by the developer, the new and improved location is expected to attract up to 750,000 extra visitors to the casino venue per annum and among them, many high-end Chinese players are expected to make an appearance. Along with the redeveloped venue, the new legislation will implement mandatory pre-commitment and maximum bet limits amounting to A$2.
As for the cap on the number of operating machines in the venue, which is 200, no new authorizations will be issued, since the casino venue will utilize the already existing ones along the maximum number in the Territory.
