A plan to install gaming machines at South Morang’s Commercial Hotel faces opposition from Whittlesea council.
As reported by Star Weekly, Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALHG) applied to the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) for permission to install 40 gaming machines at the hotel.
The Commercial Hotel currently does not have poker machines.
The group plans to move 20 gaming machines from three of its other local hotels – The Plough, Bundoora Tavern and Excelsior – to the hotel, and will also purchase 20 new machines for the Plenty Road venue.
This, it says, means only an extra 20 machines overall in Whittlesea.
Last week, councillors agreed to submit a social and economic impact assessment to the VCGLR indicating the council opposes the application.
The council will have legal representation and expert witnesses at a future commission hearing for the application.
Cr Ricky Kirkham said creating another place of gambling in the municipality would be detrimental to the community.
He said while the application was within the imposed cap on gaming machine numbers in Whittlesea, the council needs to make it clear it did not want any more gaming machines in the area.
In its application, ALHG said the pokie machines would underwrite construction of a gaming room, upgrades to the public bar, and a new rooftop bar and function room.
It said the extra machines were not likely to have a big impact on problem gambling because the venue would have one of the smallest number of gaming machines in Whittlesea.
