Photo © 2007 AAP Image/Wildlight/Philip Quirk

The Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation has given the Pink Hill Hotel, due to open in 2012, permission to build a playroom within the venue.

The playroom would be “fully enclosed with soundproof glass”.

In defending the decision, The VCGR executive commissioner Peter Cohen said it would be better to have the children inside the venue than left outside in a car. He says, "I am not concerned about children seeing poker machines because I don't think that's as harmful as ... children being unsupervised".

But anti-gambling groups have lashed out at the move, warning it could encourage parents who gamble, as it would remove the need to organise a babysitter. The VCGR has no guidelines on how play rooms would be regulated.

Child-free pokies advocate Paul Bendat said the VCGR was out of control. “It’s a disgrace. It basically normalises gambling.”

Victorian opposition gaming spokesman Michael O'Brien slammed the state government, saying "John Brumby doesn't care if parents can't hear their children cry, as long as mum and dad keep playing the pokies and making him money,"

The local council refused to grant planning permission for the venue last year after receiving 122 objections from the local community. The fight will continue at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal with a hearing due to be held in November.

Should parents be able to bring kids to the pokies? Would it expose children to bad influences, or would they be way more interested in crawling through that box full of little coloured balls? Log in below and tell us what you think.