The ACT government's new poker machine population-ratio system appears increasingly friendless, with the Australian Hotels Association the latest group to express opposition.
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The body representing Canberra's licensed hotel industry said clubs would have an "absolute monopoly" of profits from poker machines after hotels were excluded from upgrading class-B machines under the new system, announced by Gaming Minister Joy Burch on Thursday.
Canberra has 68 outdated class-B machines in hotels, in addition to about 5000 of the more modern class-C in licensed clubs.
AHA ACT general manager Brad Watts said hotels would have to sell their gaming machine entitlements to clubs under the proposed trading scheme.
He said some of the machines were up to 25yearsold and manufacturers were no longer able to repair or replace some parts.
The proposed open-market trading scheme allows existing hotels and taverns to continue operating their machines or sell their entitlements to clubs.
Mr Watts said despite extensive lobbying efforts by the hotel industry to the ACT government, hotels had been
"heavily short-changed".
"Essentially, hotels have been completely locked out of getting access to modern gaming technologies with clubs favoured by the ACT government over hotels.
"Besides Western Australian, the ACT is the only state or territory in Australia that does not permit hotels and taverns access to the same type of modern gaming machines available to the clubs sector."
Mr Watts said job losses could be one result of growing commercial pressures on hotels and taverns, as clubs received gaming machine concessions from the government.
"Hotels compete in the same marketplace as clubs – and it's concerning that the government continues to favour the club industry over the hotel industry," Mr Watts said.
Ms Burch said the government's policy had always been for class-C machines to sit in a community organisation.
"Casinos do not have access to class-C poker machines, nor do hotels," she said.
"There are 68 class-B machines in hotels and what I've done with this reform is say there will be no more class-B licences issued, but we have allowed those hotels that hold machines now to either keep them, they can operate them until they can no longer hold an interest in them, or they can trade out of it all together and get poker machines out of pubs and hotels altogether."
