IT would cost about $100 million to replace Canberra’s poker machine fleet, says ClubsACT CEO Gwyn Rees in response to the ACT Greens’ “immediate” call to lower bet limits to $5 per spin. 

Mr Rees is now asking the ACT Greens to release its policy costing for clubs and the ACT taxpayer in relation to the Greens’ proposed measures.

This comes after ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury this morning (June 11) called on the ACT government to immediately put these measures in place, and give clubs and pubs 18 months to implement the changes.

“Given the immediacy of their call, it would be good for the community to understand how many millions this policy will cost, before getting clubs and their supplier employees back to work,” says Mr Rees, who last week wrote in “CityNews” that clubs are losing around $5 million in revenue every week they’re closed.

He said: “Every week that passes the clubs are collectively losing around $5 million in revenue and, by failing to match NSW, the ACT government is preventing the 2000 employees of Canberra’s clubs from getting back to work.”

And now, before clubs have even re-opened the ACT Greens is proposing these new changes, which aren’t as simple as they suggest, says Mr Rees. As an example, when the new $20 notes were introduced last year, Mr Rees says it cost $750 per machine to change the note acceptors.

Limit bets before pokies go back online, say Greens