The businessman involved in the development of the Hobart and Darwin casinos, John Haddad, has come up with a plan for a new A$300 million casino complex on land fronting the Murray River in Mildura, Victoria. At present there is only one casino in the state, Crown Melbourne. Mildura, a wine and citrus producing area, is in the far north-west of Victoria and 550 kilometres from Melbourne.

Only last May the Victoria Gaming Minister commented that there was no policy to have a second casino in the state but yesterday Premier John Brumby admitted having preliminary talks on the subject of a casino in Mildura. According to the Premier, a second casino in Victoria has never before been proposed but there would be no legal restriction.

Brumby added that a second casino would need community support and to generate a significant number of new jobs. News of the proposed development has already caused comment from church leaders and the opposition party. The latest study by the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation suggests that problem gambling in the state is relatively low at 0.8% and mainly related to electronic gaming machines. (E-10.16.09)

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