The draft Gambling Policy is now available for community input, along with the draft Social Impact Assessment which has helped to inform the Policy revision. The Council has not yet made a final decision about the Policy and welcomes your feedback.
Public submissions on the draft Policy closed on 29 April 2019.
28 May 2019 - Committee adopts unchanged Gambling Policy, read the media release.
View the latest Gambling Class 4 Venue and Board Venue Policy on our policies page.
Documents
- Draft Gambling Policy (Class 4 Venue & Board Venue) - (PDF, 854 KB)
- Draft Gambling Policy Maps - (PDF, 8.8 MB)
- Draft Gambling Policy 2019 Statement of Proposal - (PDF, 968 KB)
- Draft Gambling Policy 2019 Summary of Proposal - (PDF, 791 KB)
- Draft Gambling Policy 2019 Fact Sheet - (PDF, 689 KB)
- Gambling Policy Review 2019 - Draft Social Impact Assessment - (PDF, 2.3 MB)
What is a Gambling Policy?
The Gambling Policy (Class 4 Venue and Board Venue) focuses on non-casino gaming machines (pokies) and Board Venues (stand-along TABs). It specifies whether gaming machine venues may be established in the District, and if so, where they may be located. It also specifies restrictions on the maximum number of gaming machines that may be operated at that venue. The Gambling Policy also determines whether or not new TABs may be established in the District and if so, where they may be located.
What are the objectives of the Gambling Policy?
- To control the growth of gambling
- To prevent and minimize the harm caused by gambling, including problem gambling
- To reduce the exposure of under 18s to gambling
- To reduce the total number of gaming machines in the District
- To facilitate community involvement in decisions about the provision of gambling.
Why is the Gambling Policy being reviewed?
The Gambling Act 2003 and the Racing Act 2003 requires local councils to review their gambling policies and make them available for community submissions every three years.
What are the key proposed changes to the Policy?
No changes have been proposed to the current policy. This is because the current Gambling Policy appears to be working well and the Social Impact Assessment showed that the risk of gambling harm has not changed since 2016 when the Policy was last reviewed.
See the Draft Gambling Policy 2019 Fact Sheet for more helpful information about this policy.