A three year moratorium on new casino applications will be the result of legislation introduced by Internal Affairs Minister Jac

A three year moratorium on new casino applications will be the result of legislation introduced by Internal Affairs Minister Jack Elder today.

The Casino Control (Moratorium) Amendment Bill requires that from today no new casino premises licence applications can be made to the Casino Control Authority, Mr Elder said.

This legislation will not affect those applications already before the CCA.

"The CCA has already received fees for these applications and begun work on them," he said.

"The Bill is to ensure that my more comprehensive Gaming Law Reform Bill can be prepared, introduced and enacted in a considered manner without a proliferation of casinos in the meantime.

"The Gaming Law Reform Bill will require the CCA to consider the social and economic impacts of proposed casinos in an integrated way. At present , the Casino Control Act seeks to promote casinos for the perceived economic benefits," Mr Elder said.

"The Bill will also explicitly require the CCA to have regard to public submissions on casinos generally. Furthermore, it will require the Authority to report to Parliament and the public on the processes used in considering applications, and the anticipated impacts of its licensing decisions.

"To help combat the rise in problem gambling, the Gaming Law Reform Bill will also enable casino operators to remove known problem gamblers from their premises," Mr Elder said.

"What the Moratorium Bill will mean is that there will be a period for getting the licensing criteria right for future casino licence applications, including giving the public improved opportunity to make submissions.

"It will also mean there will be time to complete the substantial research projects into casino impacts and problem gambling currently being undertaken before any new licence applications are considered," Mr Elder said.