Alice Springs residents oppose new pokies, survey reveals
According to a survey by a campaign group, over 98 per cent of Alice Springs residents oppose more pokies.
Australia.- A survey by No New Pokies Mparntwe has found that 98 per cent of Alice Springs residents oppose the expansion of pokies in the town. The survey of over 1,000 respondents was conducted as a nine-month moratorium on new gaming machine licences is set to expire next month.
Iris Capital, the company that acquired Casino Canberra last July, had submitted applications to install 60 new pokies in pubs and hotels.
Emma Buckley Lennox, a member of No New Pokies Mparntwe, told ABC: “We want a safe and thriving town where everyone feels welcome and can be part of the community, and pokies are not doing anything towards that goal.”
Lennox says the town’s allure lies in its natural beauty, Aboriginal culture, art and historical significance rather than its gambling offerings. Among 211 tourists who participated in the survey, only one admitted to using pokies during a visit to Alice Springs
Responding to the community’s concerns, Gaming minister Chansey Paech affirmed the government’s commitment to addressing gambling-related harm and making changes to the pokies application process. Alice Springs gamblers lost more than AU$12m on pokies in the 2021–22 financial year.
Paech stressed that the NT government values community sentiment and implemented the nine-month moratorium last September to ensure a thorough review of gaming machine applications.
Hospitality chief executive Alex Bruce highlighted the stringent gambling regulations in place in the Northern Territory, emphasising that licenced gambling venues adhere to rigorous standards and operate responsibly. He raises concerns about unregulated forms of gambling, such as illegal card houses.
