A southside club says it has applied to increase its number of poker machines to more than 200 to steel itself against the casino stealing its players.
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The Mawson Club this month applied to the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission to increase their poker machine numbers from 165 to 201.
In their social impact statement, the club said while the Canberra Casino was not currently authorised to install gaming machines, "extensive lobbying to the ACT government to change this policy which may effect the levels of gambling in the ACT in the near future".
"The Mawson Club forecasts that approval for the casino to place gaming machines may result in a 20 per cent decline in the club's gross gaming machine revenue," they said.
"In order for the Mawson Club to ensure its long-term viability, the club needs to make sure it remains competitive if and when the casino is granted a gaming machine licence."
The club has already begun talks with other clubs in the Woden Valley about acquiring any pokies they would like to offload.
There are seven clubs with poker machines in the catchment area for the Mawson Club, two of which already have more than 200 poker machines (the Southern Cross Club and the Hellenic Club).
However they have said they will bring in machines from other areas around Canberra if necessary, noting the small increase in machines would not have any "measurable adverse effect" on the Woden community.
Woden residents already spend almost double what residents of other Canberra regions do on poker machines.
Gaming machine expenditure per capita in Woden is $805.07, compared to $470.98 for the ACT as a whole.
Gross gaming revenue for all the clubs in the catchment area was more than $43 million.
But it might not be so much the fear of the casino sparking the club's expansion bid but rather a thinning bottom line. The club reported a deficit of $164,898 in 2015.
If approved, the club said the extra pokies would provide $660,000 additional revenue over the next three years.
"The Mawson Club is forecasting that with the approval of the authorisations it is seeking it can increase its gross gaming revenue and return the club to an annual surplus," they said.
"This will have the consequence of increasing community contributions that the club makes as well as allowing the club to continue to further develop its facilities to cope with future population growth in the local catchment area."
Their report also acknowledged gaming machine revenue was dwindling.
The gross gaming revenue for the 2015/16 financial year for the Mawson Club was $5,089,684, down from $5,381,772 during 2013/14.
The club reasoned that with more pokies, more people would be attracted to to play at the club.
"The acquisition of additional gaming machines by the Mawson Club is justified by the evidence which shows that the average spend of gaming machine users increases when the number of gaming machines at a venue increases," the club said.
Their rationale was the more the club brought in, the more it could put back into the Woden community through expansion and supporting local community groups.
The club pointed to plans to redevelop the former Mawson Raiders club site, build an outdoor dining area and upgrade their parking facilities.
It is worth pointing out that contributions to the community are a mandatory part of having poker machines.
In general, clubs are required to put 8 per cent of their net gaming machine revenue back into the community.
Last financial year, the Mawson Club funnelled 8.2 per cent of poker machine profits into local community organisations.
Of that money, just over $200,000 went into sport and recreation groups (although no money went into women's sports, their report said), over $30,000 went into the problem gambling assistance fund and $4000 went to charity and welfare groups.
Submissions about the club's application for more poker machines can be made to the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission until mid-March.
