Story

How it all began and developed . . . . .

Phil Bennett established the business in late 1989. This was after many years of imposition by the N.S.W. government of new laws and controls over the operation of gaming machines by N.S.W. clubs and hotels. Those sweeping reforms were extensive and complicated. They created an extremely steep learning curve for many industry participants to understand and embrace.

During the course of those changes, Phil approached the College of Catering Studies & Hotel Administration, Ryde in 1983 to develop and conduct new gaming machine education for hospitality students. Phil continued to conduct those courses at the College over the next 7 years while working in various N.S.W. government departments that regulated gaming machines, liquor licensing, charities, lotteries and the proposed, but later ill-fated, casino at Darling Harbour, Sydney.

Phil realised there was considerable demand for gaming machine education. However, that demand could not easily be satisfied by educational institutions. This left a significant void in the availability of gaming machine education for industry participants. The various associations that represented clubs, hoteliers, their managers and employees were not able to offer such legal and technical education and they offered little interest or support.

Phil identified the potential to service this niche market but realised there was only one effective way to deliver quality gaming machine education to the club and hotel industries. Giving up his senior government position and venturing into private enterprise represented a huge and daunting challenge. Phil’s plans also drew the disapproval of his superiors in government. However, to fulfil his long held goal to establish his own business and to grasp this new opportunity, he left his employment with the government and the business was born.

Starting the new business required capital investment and there was a lack of efficient technology in Phil’s arsenal of office equipment. Though, back then, he does recall having a Commodore 128 computer and a dot-matrix printer both of which were quickly found to be inadequate for his needs and obsolete. For most people, little was known of things like faxes, the  internet, email, mobile phones, Microsoft Windows, Word and Excel in those days.

Phil immediately began crafting and developing his course material and travelled all over N.S.W. delivering his pioneering gaming machine courses for the next 20 years. Clients included clubs, hotels, casinos and gaming companies. The old proverb “necessity is the mother of invention” certainly applied to the new market Phil captured. Phil does not actively market and conduct his gaming machine courses like he did over those 20 odd years but continues to offer them on demand as negotiated with his clients.

Phil’s consulting services were also in high demand over the past 30 years and and his range of advice and services to various clients are still part of his offerings today.

“Don’t wait for your ship to come in. Row out to meet it.”