NSW may allow The Star Sydney to add 1,000 pokies
The New South Wales government is considering whether to allow a transfer of poor-performing slots to The Star Sydney.
Australia.- The Star Sydney may be able to bring in 1,000 extra poker machines if the New South Wales government finally approves a proposal to transfer licences from poor-performing machines in other areas of the state.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the NSW Government is likely to allow the transfer on the grounds that the casino can be more highly regulated than some smaller venues.
There are currently 96,000 poker machines across 4,000 venues in New South Wales. Star has 1,500 in its venue in Prymont.
Player losses on NSW slots reach AU$2.2bn in first four months
From January to April, the New South Wales regulator reported that player losses on slots reached AU$2.2bn. Almost AU$600m losses were registered in April, up 12.58 per cent when compared to the previous year.
In Canterbury-Bankstown, machines saw profits of AU$48m in April – player losses of AU$1.5m per day.
In Fairfield, losses on poker machines reached almost AU$45m in April, while councils in Sydney, Cumberland and Blacktown reported profits between AU$96m and AU$116m.
Victor Dominello, the minister responsible for gaming, has pleaded for the introduction of cashless machines in order to combat money laundering and problem gambling.
The New Lambton club will be the first venue to introduce cashless slots from September. The machines will include spending limits, time limits and real-time messaging to customers to collaborate with responsible gambling measures.
