A large amount of “VIP Lounge” signs situated outside pubs in the central part of Sydney may be violating City Council rules. They could be removed by the competent authorities after an investigation is completed.
According to experts, the flashing signs use a euphemism to denote poker machine rooms in local pubs and are also found confusing by many tourists although there are currently found literally everywhere in Sydney. However, they may be breaching the guidelines on allowable signage of the Sydney City Council.
The issues linked to the “VIP Lounge” signage have been raised by a local resident, so the City Council inspected the signs placed outside three hotels on or in close proximity to Oxford Street and, eventually, found that all of them were installed without the competent authorities’ necessary consent.
Andrew Thomas, the executive manager for planning and development of the City Council, sent a letter to the resident who raised the issue informing them that it was unlikely that the City would have given the illuminating flashing signs the green light if the operators of the venues had submitted the required development applications seeking to install such signage. The signs’ compliance with allowable signage guidelines is still being investigated by the authorities that are set to take action as required when the probe is brought to an end.
The thing is that pubs around Sydney have long used the euphemistic phrase “VIP Lounge” as code for so-called pokies because gambling-related signs are not allowed to be placed outside venues under state laws. Operators are also not permitted to use signs that feature terms or expressions that are usually associated with gambling.
City Council Rules Do Not Allow the Use of Special or Excessive Illumination Schemes to Promote Gambling
For the time being, the use of special or excessive illumination schemes to promote businesses is not allowed under the signage and advertising rules of the Sydney City Council. The use of intermittently illuminated, flashing or sequenced lighting signs to promote businesses are, on the other hand, discouraged.
The three pubs that have been investigated were the Oxford Hotel, the Colombian Hotel, and the Courthouse Hotel. Harris Kospetas, who owns the Oxford Hotel, shared that he was aware of the signage crackdown but did not know any more details about the situation. The licence holder for the Colombian Hotel did not respond to media inquiries for comment, while the Courthouse Hotel’s official said that the City Council had not contacted them about the signage, but the venue was ready to work constructively if required.
As revealed by Mr Thomas, all signage outside gaming rooms in the local government area is set to be reviewed, too. The Sydney City Council officially confirmed that the planning and heritage impacts of the flashing “VIP Lounge” signs were being investigated, along with the venues’ compliance with the city’s development controls.
The investigation comes at a time when City Councils in the region are calling for the state Government to take stricter action to tackle the poker machines’ impact in their areas. According to data provided by the Government, a total of AU$110 million was lost on pokies in the Georges River area over the first six months of 2022, putting the area in the top 10 areas with the biggest poker machine losses in the state.
In December, the members of the Sydney City Council unanimously voted to ask Premier Dominic Perrottet to officially adopt a mandatory cashless gaming card and to ban the use of pokies at local clubs and pubs from midnight to 10:00 AM.
- Author
Daniel Williams
