HOTEL STRUGGLES AMID POKER MACHINE BAN

Yackandandah Hotel publican Peter Cook has worked in hospitality for decades, but has never experienced such a difficult time for pubs as now. The pub, in the Indigo Shire in the northeast of Victoria, has served its community for over

ROMSEY REVIVAL TRIGGERS COUNCIL ANTI-GAMING CRUSADE

A Victorian club has reignited a 20-year debate and prompted a battle with Council by applying to revive the closed Romsey Hotel, incorporating the installation of 50 gaming machines. Romsey Football Netball Club (RFNC) submitted an application to the Victorian

UNIONS NSW CALLING FOR MASSIVE REDUCTION IN POKIES

The leading union movement in NSW has jumped into the debate against gambling by demanding a dramatic reduction in the number of EGMs in the state. Unions NSW represents a series of affiliated unions, spanning 600k members.   It issued

NEW GOVT CAMPAIGN PUSHES DRINKING, NO DRIVING

The Transport Accident Commission has released a hard-hitting public service campaign aimed at discouraging people from driving after drinking at all, telling consumers to stop ‘kidding’ themselves. The new “Drink Driving: Stop Kidding Yourself” campaign by the Commission (TAC) in

CORONER CALLS FOR STRICTER RSA AFTER DRINK-DRIVING DEATH

A Coroner’s report has called for stricter RSA compliance checks on venues after the drink-driving death of a young man served 25 beers over about seven hours. On the night of Friday, 30 April 2021, 25-year-old apprentice boilermaker Jethro Wolf

NSW GOVT PLANS TO CRACK DOWN ON INDUSTRY COMMUNIQUE

The NSW government has criticised and plans to investigate the practise of venues getting a ‘heads up’ on pending random inspections, furthering the anti-gaming debate as Australians baulk at the cashless economy.  Documents by the NSW regulator, Liquor and Gaming,

DO PUBS DESERVE THE POKIE DEN CRITIQUE?

As New South Wales counts down to a state election in March the public perception of gaming in pubs and clubs is front-and-centre, and operators walking close to the line have their fates in the balance. Since Premier Perrottet pronounced

SYDNEY COUNCIL’S PUSH FOR EVEN GREATER GAMING REFORM

Inner West Council is working on lobbying the NSW State Government to apply even stricter reform to poker machine gambling at all gaming venues. Greens Councillor Liz Atkins and Independent Councillor Pauline Lockie are tabling the motion this week for

ONLINE GAMING STILL ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Anti-gaming sentiment continues to focus on potential harm at venues, while little attention is given to the growing spectre – and potential usurper – seen in illegal online gaming, despite the failure of its prohibition.  The Interactive Gambling Act of 2001

PRESSURE RISES IN GAMING MACHINE SPIN

News has broken that ILGA’s data monitoring system has identified hundreds of what are dubbed “suspect transactions” at pubs and clubs, including outside of the cities, potentially boding a major reality check for authorities and industry. The information from the