Community ‘on a winner, too’

By Callan Date
DEVELOPERS of the $90 million Casey Towers project have outlined their plans to give back to the community if granted a licence to operate 60 pokie machines.
At least $100,000 will be pumped back into the local area each year through a community benefits program.
The Grossi and Cardamone group recently lodged applications for the approval needed to include a small gaming lounge in the Casey Towers entertainment and hotel complex.
The Narre Warren development, set to be built on the Princes Highway at the eastern gateway to the Fountain Gate-Narre Warren Activity Centre, will consist of two distinctive towers with more than 140 four-star hotel rooms, restaurants and office suites.
Many community members have applauded the new project, which is due to start early next year. However, the electronic gaming machine (EGM) component has caused some angst.
The News reported earlier this month the concerns of several Casey senior citizens who said they would fight the pokies application.
Terry Dance has led the charge against the application and said other residents needed to do the same.
“This $100,000 means nothing,” he said. “On average each machine takes about $126,000 a year. Then you can times that amount by the 60 machines they are asking to be put in at Casey Towers. We don’t need any more pokies in the City of Casey.”
Casey Towers project manager Rick Grounds said the proposed gaming lounge had several positive features, especially when compared with existing gaming venues in the Casey.
“At 60 EGMs, the proposed gaming lounge would be smaller than all but two of the existing 12 gaming venues in the City of Casey. We could have applied for many more machines but we do not want Casey Towers to operate primarily as a gaming venue,” Mr Grounds said.
The pokies will be supplied by Tattersalls and would be relocated from one or more of the capped areas in Victoria.
“Our gaming lounge will function as a small part of a comprehensive offering of entertainment facilities, without precedent in Casey,” Mr Grounds said.
“This is further evidenced by the fact that the gaming lounge will not even be located on the ground floor of Casey Towers.”
More than $107 million was lost in Casey pokies last financial year and the city already has 879 machines operating almost around the clock.
Mr Grounds said other positive features of the proposal include:
THE $100,000 community benefits program, voluntarily financed from the revenue of the gaming lounge (based on 60 EGMs), will be far in excess of contributions made by other, larger gaming venues in Casey.
THE program will support community and sporting group activities that cater for children in the local population. A major component of the program will be an annual donation to the ‘Kids becoming Champions’ program operated by Windermere Child and Family Services.
CASEY Towers is located well outside gaming capped areas and will draw little of its business from the Cranbourne area. When completed, it will be the third largest single investment in the Casey-Cardinia growth corridor. It is expected to generate more than 1100 jobs during the construction and operational phases.
In addition to its major accommodation and reception-convention elements, the development will incorporate office, entertainment and lifestyle facilities with fine dining, a series of bar areas, live entertainment, gymnasium, and health and beauty services.