Casino Canberra explored the option of relocating to Canberra Airport as a way to gain poker machine licences, a senior employee has revealed.
The admission was made after Casino Canberra used a budget submission to the ACT government to again request 200 poker machines at its Civic premises.
The gambling venue has been fighting for the right to introduce machines since opening in 1992, but has failed to crack the ACT's community-based gaming model which restricts pokies to clubs.
Casino Canberra marketing director Peter Cursley told the Sunday Canberra Times that the plight became so desperate a move to the Canberra Airport, and away from ACT control, was investigated about 10 years ago.
But federal legislation prevented the relocation and the casino has resigned itself to a future akin to groundhog day, forever unsuccessfully lobbying the government.
''[A move out to Pialligo] was a consideration briefly about 10 years ago when Canberra Airport was federal land,'' Mr Cursley said. ''We thought it might be a way to have a casino with gaming machines because it was federally controlled and not territory controlled.
''But it wasn't possible and is still not possible because legislation prevents it.
''I think we've looked at every possible angle but we've decided we're better off in the CBD.''
In the submission, the casino, which recently slashed its opening hours in an attempt to cut costs, argues it could increase the territory's revenue if it could offer customers a complete casino experience.
Mr Cursley said the casino currently added more than $3 million annually to the territory's coffers, in payroll tax ($729,566), licence fee ($835,579) and gaming tax ($2.08 million). He said the figure would increase dramatically with poker machine revenue.
But under the current arrangement, tourists leave the territory disappointed because Casino Canberra cannot offer a complete casino experience, he said.
''Certainly, our vision would be to be in a financial position where we could reinvest in the property, put on better shows, offer a better all-round product, more in line with what people's perceptions of what a casino is.
''We'll never be a Star City or Crown Casino but we'd like to offer the same sort of things, just not on the same scale.''
Mr Cursley said the casino would happily install controversial pre-commitment technology and pay the ACT government 30 per cent tax on gross gaming revenue from the machines - an estimated recurrent revenue stream of $4 million a year.
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