Anti-casino advocate says Australia's gambling industry same as US NRA

Costello told ABC that the Brisbane project —the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane Integrated Resort Development that will include a casino—, was “totally irresponsible.”

"Where other states have one casino —Sydney is about to get two— Queensland is leading the charge with the number of casinos, so I really think this is a bankrupt social policy," he said.

Costello's statements come the same week that gambling giant Crown became under fire for allegedly tampering with slot machines. Furthermore, public consultation for the Queen's Wharf development ends this week.

According to Costello, Australia's "blind spot" is the gambling industry just like guns are in the United States.

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The casino and gaming industry in Australia is the equivalent of the NRA — we have 20 per cent of the world's pokies, just like Americans have so many guns, Mr Costello said

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"This blind spot means we are the greatest problem gamblers by a country mile —way behind Singapore and then Ireland."

"Casinos are like laws unto themselves — they really run state governments and treasuries and it's a cosy little deal largely locking all transparency and public criticism," he said.

"As we're seeing with Crown and the regulator after these explosive allegations, sending in the regulator to investigate Crown is the State Government of Victoria investigating itself."

Meanwhile, when opening up the public consultation for the Brisbane development Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk considered the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane project “a game-changing urban renewal development, for its ability to create thousands of jobs and its potential for economic growth for our State.”

Star Entertainment Group has already started work on its Brisbane development, which it said would create more than 2,000 construction jobs, and 8,000 more jobs once the precinct was up and running, ABC reported.