New gaming machine licenses at community venues in Alice Springs have been suspended for nine months as the Territory Labor Government moves to strengthen the application process.
The moratorium follows a concerted campaign by residents that included hundreds of submissions objecting to plans to add 60 gaming machines to hotels and taverns in the town.
This means applications currently in train for Uncles Tavern, Mercure Alice Springs Resort, Todd Tavern, and Gap View Hotel will not be considered until June 2023.
Lasseters Casino has a separate, longstanding agreement with the NT Government that will not be affected by the decision.
Further harm minimisation policies and practices will be considered during the moratorium, including improving the public interest and community impact assessment processes.
The Government will spend $1 million on research this financial year towards building knowledge and informing policies about gambling-related harm.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Racing, Gaming and Licensing Chansey Paech:
“The Territory Labor Government knows that problem gambling creates a significant public health risk to communities across the NT, especially for our most vulnerable Territorians.
“People in Alice Springs have voiced their concerns loudly and clearly, and we are now taking the time to make the application process more robust and in line with community expectations.
“This move is part of our Government’s wider policy reform to minimise gambling-related harm because it is in the best interests of Territorians; and it is what Territorians want.”
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