Council has lost its legal bid to stop Geelong RSL installing 30 extra pokies.
Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor granted a conditional approval to Geelong RSL for the plans on Monday.
Councillor Sarah Mansfield described the decision as disappointing given Geelong was suffering “record high” financial losses at the pokies.
But City Hall’s “strong argument“ against the application in the two-day hearing had ensured a number of strict conditions to reduce the harm of the extra machines, she said.
Council allocated its in-house legal team and up to $8000 for external representation to argue its case.
The extra 30 pokies would cause about $2.9 million in gambling losses during the first 12 months, according to council.
Greater Geelong has a total of 1,292 pokies, which caused gambling losses of more than $118 million during 2017-18.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, council received an estimate of costs to re-establish Geelong Gambling Advisory Committee.
City officers have estimated $52,550 would cover the cost of staff, public awareness programs, public forums and advocacy initiatives for the committee.
“This is something for us to strongly consider in our budget process,” Cr Mansfield said.
“There’s a lot that can be done – it’s not purely about reducing the number of pokies.
“The committee could also lead education initiatives, develop strategies to promote responsible gambling, and lobby on behalf of the community on this issue.”
Geelong RSL president Andrew Hann declined to comment on the matter.
