Hotels ‘use dodgy data on gaming’

APPLICATIONS for extra pokies in Geelong have been based on “wobbly data”, according to a Geelong councillor.
Cr Jan Farrell said evidence around “transfer spend”, often used to support applications for additional pokies, was untested.
Geelong council is leading a state-wide campaign to improve research and information on transfer spend, which represented the transfer of poker machine income from other venues, as opposed to new spend, representing increased gambling and potential rises in problem gambling.
Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation recently approved hotels’ pokies applications for 20 extra at Lara, 40 at Fyansford, 14 at Waurn Ponds and four at North Geelong’s Sphinx.
Council last week backed a motion from Cr Farrell calling for the commission to research the issue.
Cr Farrell’s motion said the Sphinx’s application argued that 71 per cent of its income would come from neighbouring venues, while Fyansford Hotel argued for a 75 per cent transfer.
“One of the difficulties faced by expert witnesses in producing transferred expenditure forecasts and councils in assessing and scrutinising such figures is that the VCGLR does not release all of the relevant data required.
“The lack of available expenditure data, coupled with the lack of input from the VCGLR in this area, undermines the reliability of transferred expenditure predictions.”
Cr Farrell said Municipal Association of Victoria and the Victorian Local Government Association would also raise the issue, urging other councils to pass similar motions.
The lack of information led to inaccurate applications, with both under-estimations and over-estimations of transferred expenditure, she said.
Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal had criticised the commission’s unreliable data when hearing appeals on poker machine decisions.
“VCAT said the commission was not doing its job properly because it should operate with the best available information,” Cr Farrell said.
“The commission has the wherewithal to instigate research on more accurate data. It would result in fairer and more consistent decisions being made by the commission.”