WHITTLESEA City Council has spent almost $225,000 on its fight to keep pokies out of Laurimar.
And it might have to spend more ratepayers’ money fighting Whittlesea Bowls Club’s bid for 10 extra machines.
The council’s sustainability planning manager, Jon Rawlings, said the council spent between $50,000 to $100,000 a year fighting gaming machine applications.
“Considering the detrimental effects … council considers the expenditure to be worthwhile,” he said.
Mr Rawlings said the $224,956 spent fighting the Laurimar pokies equated to what residents would lose in 22 days if the hotel had won, according to Tattersalls’ own figures. Gambling losses were expected to top $100 million in Whittlesea this year, he said.
The Victorian Council for Gaming and Liquor Regulation granted a licence for 40 pokies for the proposed Laurimar Tavern in 2010.
Whittlesea council successfully challenged the decision in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal last year. Tattersalls appealed to the Supreme Court but later withdrew.
The council is preparing for another fight after rejecting Whittlesea Bowls Club’s application for 10 more machines. The club claimed the machines would net $284,879 next financial year and applied to VCGLR to overturn the decision.
A result will be given this week.
Cr John Fry said it was annoying that a state government cap on machines covered only the south of the municipality, forcing council to use the legal system to stop them in the north. “In the north it’s open slather and we have to stop the increase,” he said.
