New Pokies for Langwarrin Hotel: Cause for Concern?

The Langwarrin Hotel in Victoria has been granted permission to add an extra 10 pokie machines to its gaming floor. The new pokies will provide additional profits that will be used to build a $1 million indoor playground for children, which has responsible gambling advocates concerned.

The owners of the Langwarrin Hotel have argued that the playground will be a huge benefit to the local community. However, local city councils disagree, stating that it is harmful to have a children’s playground so close to poker machines.

“This is beyond my understanding. How can a regulator possibly think that it’s a good idea to expose children to pokies?” says Colleen Hartland, an MP for The Greens. “That they think it has community benefits to have children in a pokies venue.”

Gambling researchers are also concerned about the decision to grant new pokies to a venue that wants to build a playground on-site. It is important that young people are not exposed to gambling at an early age, as it can normalise the activity for them and encourage them to develop unhealthy attitudes about gambling later on in life. As such, it seems problematic for the Langwarrin Hotel to add a playground near its pokies.

“If anything we should be doing much more to keep kids away from these venues,” says Samantha Thomas, a gambling expert at Deakin University.

The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation stands by its decision to grant the extra pokie licenses to the hotel. The organisation stated that the increase in business that would result from the new playground would not flow into poker machines; rather, it would encourage more patrons to visit the bistro at the Langwarrin Hotel.