No chance of slot machines at Crown Resorts Sydney, state premier says
Chris Minns has rejected any legislative amendment.
Australia.- New South Wales premier Chris Minns has denied suggestions that Crown Resorts could be allowed to operate slot machines at its Barangaroo casino in Sydney. The Sydney Morning Herald had reported that Crown was lobbying MPs over the matter, but Minns said the current restriction, which has stood for over a decade, would not be overturned under his leadership.
“It would require a bill, presumably, from the government, to knock over that restriction, and I’m not going to do it,” he said.
Earlier this week, a report by the Audit Office New South Wales concluded that the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) and the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport (the department) regulate gaming machines in a structured and consistent manner but are not supporting harm minimisation outcomes effectively.
The report made several recommendations, including increasing the focus of the department regulatory strategy on improving harm minimisation outcomes and ensuring that the gaming machine forfeiture scheme achieves its objectives. It also recommended that ILGA start conducting regular reviews of licence conditions for venues and that it increase the clarity of its decisions.
