Pokies Profits Will be Used to Build Western Sydney's New $100 Million Arts Centre
The Rooty Hill RSL is funding the entire project, which it hopes will be western Sydney's Opera House.
Western Sydney's getting a grand $100 million performing arts centre — and it's set to be funded by the profits from Rooty Hill RSL's pokies.
Slated to be the largest of its kind in the area, the Western Sydney Performing Arts Centre (WSPAC) has commenced construction across the road from the RSL, which will use part of the huge revenue pulled in from its gaming room floor to cover the entire cost of the theatre project. Which is...conflicting, to say the least.
And Rooty Hill RSL chief executive Richard Errington has some lofty plans for the venue, which will feature a state-of-the-art 2000-seat proscenium arch theatre and a pedestrian air bridge linking the existing club. "Our objective was to provide something equal to the Sydney Opera House or the Lyric Theatre or the Capitol Theatre, so we can attract the same kind of shows they do," he told The Sydney Morning Herald. "Anything the major theatres can provide, we can now also accommodate in this amenity."
Sounds ambitious, right? But Rooty Hill RSL should have no trouble footing the bill for this one, last year reporting an uncomfortable annual revenue of $89.1 million, two-thirds of which came from pokies profits. The club boasts 726 gaming machines, which is the largest collection of any of its NSW counterparts.
This isn't the first time questionable cash has been used to fund arts projects — remember when the Biennale came under scrutiny for its relationship with Transfield? — and the centre will undeniably be a significant addition to Sydney's arts scene. We just can't help but feel icky about it.
It's expected to open its doors late 2019, with plans for a five-star hotel next door also on the agenda.
Via The Sydney Morning Herald.
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