A decision will be made this month regarding the application for 50 electronic gaming machines at Romsey Hotel, after a commission hearing.
Three commissioners from the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) were presented with evidence from the applicant, Romsey Football Netball Club, and those in opposition, including Macedon Ranges council.
At a hearing that concluded on Tuesday, May 28, opponents of the proposal presented evidence to the panel, including findings from a Social Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) recently conducted by council.
Opponents of the proposal also included community members, with two members presenting information for local context.
The hearing was initially scheduled for three days, but was extended to four to allow all information to be fairly heard.
The Romsey Football Netball Club announced its plan to reopen the Romsey Hotel in February 2023 and publicly revealed its intention of installing the gaming machines last October.
In March this year, Macedon Ranges council invited Romsey residents and people living within five kilometres of the hotel to complete a survey for this hearing.
This attracted criticism from local advocacy group ‘Keep Romsey Pokies Free’, who in a statement, said the machines are “highly likely to persuade an individual at risk to travel readily over five kilometres to gamble away his/her savings”.
A decision is set to be made by Monday, June 24.
