If you look at the Australian government’s recent attitude towards the gaming industry it wouldn’t be surprising to see the gossip columns filled with rumours of there actually being two people doing every job. Not because they’re sharing work either – they both have completely differing opinions.
We can already point to the fact that the porn industry wreaked havoc with their Internet filtering system and the early assertions of Prime Minister Julie Gillard that the online gambling industry is indeed in cahoots with the dark overlord himself, Darth Vader. This is the same iGaming industry that is thought to be worth AUS$1billion.
The latest casino news is very puzzling though. Back in December, the Australian government were still looking to press ahead with plans to significantly reduce the amount of pokies that were available to the public. Of course there was a backlash against these plans, but what we weren’t expecting was for the introduction of more pokies to be tabled by one casino.
According to a story in The Daily Telegraph, the makeover that the Star City is currently undergoing may include adding another 1000 pokie machines to the venue. They have put a proposal on the table with the coalition government, and if they’re elected in March it will be given serious thought.
Maybe the fact that any new pokies would provide millions of dollars of revenue is part of it, but after such strong opposition before it is indeed a rather surprising one to say the least.
