HAVING A BIG POKIE AT IT

THE Queensland Opposition LNP are having a field day – and will no doubt continue to – while pokie machine numbers keep rising on the Gold Coast in pubs and clubs.

The Bulletin first revealed three weeks ago that approved pokies in the city’s venues had jumped by 90 between August and January.

It was the first time the number of approved electronic gaming machines in pubs and clubs had soared past 6000, going from 5971 to 6061.

Now for the month of February, according to latest figures on the State Government’s Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation website, they have climbed a further nine to 6070.

Intriguingly, it was August when Gold Coast Opposition MP David Crisafulli put Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones on the spot when asking in Estimates: “Can you rule out granting any additional electronic gaming machines for the Gold Coast tourism hub located in my city?”.

Ms Jones responded: “Yes.”

And ever since pokie machine numbers in Gold Coast pubs and clubs, which can on-sell their allocation to any incoming operator, have been climbing.

It has given ammunition for Mr Crisafulli and his leader Deb Frecklington to accuse the State Government of making a promise it cannot keep.

Ms Jones and Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath continue to put their heads in the sand when answering questions about this.

Ms Jones keeps trying to say her promise of no pokie increases related purely to a global tourism hub which her Government has now asked for global giants in entertainment to put forward registrations of interest in developing.

It is the kind of hair splitting which doesn’t tend to wash with the public at large who generally consider the Gold Coast to be – as incumbent casino operator Star Entertainment Group CEO Matt Bekier has declared – “saturated” with pokies.

Meanwhile, Ms D’Ath sticks to her line that applications for pubs and clubs pokies are assessed independently within existing statewide caps and available licences.

She doesn’t make any decisions around applications, she says.

Which begs the question, why did they make the promise they did in Estimates? Labor will not draw a line in the sand on this matter.

But Ms Frecklington is drawing a line. She says they would not allow pokie numbers on the Gold Coast to increase if they were in power.

In the meantime, they keep going up.