The Lasseters Casino in Alice Springs has been taken over by a new owner, the Northern Territory has seen the number of poker machines per person rise more than twice in comparison to the one in Victoria. According to reports, the figure is almost as big as the one in the state of South Australia.
Under the existing laws, venues in the Northern Territory are required to submit an application along with a community impact analysis in case they are willing to get an operating licence or boost the number of machines offered there. However, there is no such requirement for casinos in the state. Casinos do not have to apply for an increase in the number of poker machines offered as long as they can be hosted in their gaming area.
At the time when the first casino in the Northern Territory was established in 1981, the community was informed that no poker machines will be available and the first mainland casino in Australia would remain focused on attracting high-roller gamblers. However, things have changed since then.
Now, there is evidence that a disproportionate number of gamblers who play the controversial poker machines in the Alice casino are people who originate from Aboriginal communities, who account for only 20% of the town’s population.
Lasseters Casino Ads 132 More Poker Machines After Ownership Change Last Week
Since the Lasseters Casino in Alice Springs last changed its owner, a total of 132 poker machines have been installed, boosting the overall number of electronic gaming terminals available there to 320. For the time being, there is one poker machine for every 94 individuals in the Northern Territory. New South Wales is the only Australian state/territory that has a larger number of pokies, as there is one machine for every 88 people.
The rest of the Australian states have lower rates of pokies, with 1 poker machine for every 111 people in the ACT and Queensland, 150 for Tasmania and 228 for the state of Victoria. There are no poker machines in Western Australia apart from the ones available in Crown Perth, which makes that one electronic gaming terminal is available to every 1,069 people in the state.
As explained for a local media hub by a spokesperson of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (DITT), the compliance officers in the Northern Territory complete various compliance checks on the conduct of gaming, gaming equipment, responsible gambling, tobacco and liquor on a regular basis.
Last week, Quilter Assets revealed that after 24 years of ownership it has decided to sell the casino venue to Iris Capital in an AU$105-million deal. After the sale, a 70% increase in the share price of the casino has been registered.
The new owner of the Lasseters Casino currently runs a large number of pubs and hotels in the state of New South Wales. It has recently acquired the Ibis hotel chain in Australia.
- Author
Daniel Williams
