Shire to develop gambling policy

COUNCIL PRESS RELEASE:

On Tuesday night Mt Alexander Shire councillors voted to prepare a Gaming Policy for the Shire. Council has identified the development of a Gaming Policy as a priority action for 2010-11 in the Annual Plan.

The policy will provide a basis for Council to make decisions on planning permit applications for new gaming venues or increases to electronic gaming machines in existing gaming venues in the Shire.

The policy would also inform any submission Council may wish to make to the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation (VCGR) regarding any applications for new gaming premises. It will include a Local Planning Policy on gaming that applies to all applications which require a permit to install or use an electronic gaming machine, or use land for the purpose of gaming.

Mount Alexander Shire currently has 30 electronic gaming machines located in one business in central Castlemaine. There are recent changes regarding electronic gaming machines and State Government legislation that will affect the Shire. These include:

• The recent auction of electronic gaming machine entitlements to pubs and clubs;
• Changes to the venue licence provisions; and
• The maximum number of electronic gaming machines per Local Government Area based on the State benchmarked density of 10 machines per 1,000 people over 18 years.

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