Watermark gains pokies
A $ 2 MILLION investment in 20 poker machines and a gaming room will be installed at the Watermark Bar and Grill in July.
The hotel received approval for the machines from the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation.
Registered manager Sudarshan Poudel said it was exciting to have something new to add to the venue.
“Most of the people we’ve spoken to are very excited about it,” he said.
“We do breakfast, lunch and dinner here, so this just adds to the whole experience of it. It will make our operations more dynamic.”
Owner Danny Meares said the gaming room would be installed behind the bar.
“( The machines) will have all the latest technology,” he said. “When you walk in that room it will look like a casino.”
Paynter Dixon will do the work.
Mr Meares said the machines added to the appeal of the venue.
“We’ve been here four years now and we’re still building and I have a lot of other ideas and plans for the place,” he said.
A sign out the front of the venue says a new gaming room with 20 of the latest machines is coming soon.
Mr Poudel said there would be some promotions with the new machines.
“In the first three months we will be doing a lucky draw and giving away a car,” he said.
A Facebook page was established last year in opposition to the plan for the gaming machines.
No one from the page responded to requests for comment.
The approved trading hours for the 20 machines are from 10am until midnight.
A job advertisement for a bar manager/ gaming manager for the Watermark has been posted on Seek.
The Watermark’s investment comes as the Rambutan applied for a licence for 20 machines at a 119 Flinders St address last month. This is still to be approved. Queensland Government Gambling and Liquor statistics show that in March and February this year there were 1665 operational electronic gaming machines in the Townsville Local Government area.
However, there are 2043 approved machines, meaning 378 potential machines are not operating.
Last year Townsville gamblers lost nearly $ 100 million on poker machines.
State Government figures reveal gamblers lost $ 97,195,541 in 2017, an increase from $ 95,771,972 the year before.