Outback community fights 'opportunistic' pokies expansion by Sydney-based investment company

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In what has been slated as a 'David and Goliath' battle, the Alice Springs community is taking on a gambling giant that wants to add dozens more poker machines to the town.

gambling industry's ability to influence government decision-makingResearcher Tony Brown has been providing legal assistance to members of the Casula community in south-west Sydney, where Iris Capital is in court making a similar push to expand its pokies empire despite pushback.

Dr Brown said large gambling and liquor companies had over the decades "hijacked" law-making and regulatory processes across much of the country, flying in the face of politicians' responsibility to work in the public interest."What we're finding instead is that those industries effectively captured our democratically elected politicians and those institutions that they control.

Iris Capital chief executive Sam Arnaout says Alice Springs is "undiscovered from a business perspective". "We welcome investment in food, beverage, accommodation, upgrades right across the Territory, and yes, gaming services is part of that," said Alex Bruce, the chief executive of Hospitality NT."There's a lot of problem gambling that goes on in unregulated community card game houses, in the streets, in the public parks.

 

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As they should - there are already too many of these infernal machines operating now!

Labor ending Indue and alcohol bans ending in NT, this won't work out well

100 out of 30,000? In a town with a casino and various clubs? SlowNewsWeek 🤡🤡

If only there was a way to stop people’s welfare payment being funnelled into these machines… like a card that has limits on certain merchants or something 🤔

Perhaps a cashless debit card might help?

Pokies are the gov cash cow and income

If the community is against them who's going to play them?

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