Joy Burch has announced changes to the clubs sector.

“The reforms I announce today are a result of much hard work between the government and industry over the past two years, following the commitments made in a Memorandum of Understanding between the government and ClubsACT in 2012,” Joy said.

“It has been important to strike a balance between reforms that help our clubs with harm minimisation and the revenue impact on government. It is a mark of the strength and maturity of ACT clubs that they have been able to work through these issues and agree to a package that will help secure the sector’s long-term future.”

The package includes:

• Introduction of a trading scheme for electronic gaming machines, allowing clubs to buy and sell their gaming machine licenses
• A significant reduction in the maximum number of licenses to a new ‘cap’ – a ratio of 15 machines to 1,000 adults, with future increases based on population growth
• A package of red tape reforms
• More progressive taxation of gaming machine revenue
• Giving hotels and taverns access to the trading scheme to divest themselves of existing machines
• Assistance to help clubs diversify their sources of revenue
• Retention of a strong focus on harm minimisation.

“The package of reforms announced today, is the most significant suite of changes in Canberra’s club sector in decades and will provide certainty to a struggling industry,” said Chief Executive of ClubsACT Jeff House.