WORTHWHILE ARGUMENTS ON BOTH SIDES OF CASINO DEBATE

DEBATE on whether the Gold Coast should have a second casino is heating up.

We have a licence available for a second major gaming house to join The Star on the Glitter Strip.

Proponents for a green light argue it would be less about gaming and more about developing our tourism offering to the world.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones – about to embark on a scouting trip of gaming and entertainment giants in Las Vegas – has emphasised the tourism dividend from adding a casino.

“Let’s be very clear, the whole point of Global Tourism Hubs is to move away from gaming being the main source of income,’’ she tells The Bulletin in today’s paper.

“Instead, the focus is on new and exciting tourism infrastructure – particularly in the entertainment, retail and hospitality space.’’

It’s a valid point – there’s no argument that another gaming house in an integrated resort would enhance the city’s appeal to domestic and international tourists.

Others argue there is also a benefit in providing competitive tension to The Star.

But of course these cannot be the only factors to consider in what would be a momentous decision for the Gold Coast.

The dark side of electronic gaming machines is depressingly apparent in the statistics released annually.

Statewide punters lost $2.3 billion last financial year – a staggering figure that represents misery for thousands.

As of late last year, Gold Coast gamblers broke a bleak new ceiling – by racking up an average million dollars a day in losses on pokies.

And that figure is not counting the losses incurred at The Star.

Weighed against this are the undoubted benefits of gaming: it delivers thousands of jobs and economic activity, acting as a tourism magnet.

Moreover, profits at our registered clubs are ploughed back into venue upgrades, improving the food and beverage offering for the city.

A far smaller amount is also fed back into community groups. Last year the Gambling Community Benefit Fund distributed $54 million to worthy causes.

The State Government, meanwhile, pocketed $687 million of punters’ losses.

This of course begs the question: would the misery be compounded by the addition of up to 2500 pokies to anchor a second casino resort?

Moreover, would the entry of a competitor discourage the Star from its ambitious $2 billion vision to expand its footprint at Broadbeach?

Put together this is a complex issue with valid views on both sides.

It’s anything but straightforward.

So it is right that no matter what the answer, there is no headlong rush to decide.