Nathan MottonVictorian clubs must heed report on pokies
March 3rd 2008 09:45
The Age has reported that Victorian AFL clubs have taken more than $110 million from poker players and are increasingly targeting lower socio-economic communities.
The research carried out by Monash University found that the clubs kept one-third of all revenue, or about $36 million from more than 1000 poker machines in 18 gaming venues.
Collingwood Football Club topped the list, pulling in an estimated $27.7 million at its five clubs and pubs across the city, some of which are considered to be situated in vulnerable suburbs.
And Hawthorn has made a contribution of $155,000 to the western suburbs community of Melton, which recorded annual poker machine losses of almost $600 per adult last financial year.
This exclusive report has uncovered some disturbing trends across the league, and although the AFL can't be held responsible for reaping the rewards of what has become for so many a serious addiction, it must be put a halt to it.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made no excuses for his opposition to pokies, and has agreed to sit down with states and territories and work on an agreed analysis of their social impact.
He recently told Sky News "If there are alternative sources of revenue, if we reduce the states' reliance on gambling taxes you actually see more economic activity in other sectors of the economy because people will be spending more money elsewhere in a way that doesn't cause the social harm, the social impact that pokies do."
The undeniable fact is that pokies can cause serious social harm, and as far as this scribe is concerned need to be minimised in all venues across the state.
For this to be achieved, the buck stops with state and federal governments to come up with more transparent and practical measures to ensure pokies are not being introduced willy nilly.
But for a league so obsessed with image and its perception in the wider community, this a seriously damaging report and one that must be looked at.
AFL clubs should not be allowed to contribute to this scourge by profiting heavily from their very existence.
Obviously they are not the only organisations that make money from pokies, but for the purpose of this blog I will only look at the AFL.
Tighter restrictions need to be placed on Victorian clubs to ensure that they are not perceived to be accentuating the problem by feeding already vulnerable communities with more machines.
These clubs must stop dipping their toes into get-rich-quick schemes at the expense of social harmony.
The research carried out by Monash University found that the clubs kept one-third of all revenue, or about $36 million from more than 1000 poker machines in 18 gaming venues.
Collingwood Football Club topped the list, pulling in an estimated $27.7 million at its five clubs and pubs across the city, some of which are considered to be situated in vulnerable suburbs.
And Hawthorn has made a contribution of $155,000 to the western suburbs community of Melton, which recorded annual poker machine losses of almost $600 per adult last financial year.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made no excuses for his opposition to pokies, and has agreed to sit down with states and territories and work on an agreed analysis of their social impact.
He recently told Sky News "If there are alternative sources of revenue, if we reduce the states' reliance on gambling taxes you actually see more economic activity in other sectors of the economy because people will be spending more money elsewhere in a way that doesn't cause the social harm, the social impact that pokies do."
The undeniable fact is that pokies can cause serious social harm, and as far as this scribe is concerned need to be minimised in all venues across the state.
For this to be achieved, the buck stops with state and federal governments to come up with more transparent and practical measures to ensure pokies are not being introduced willy nilly.
AFL clubs should not be allowed to contribute to this scourge by profiting heavily from their very existence.
Obviously they are not the only organisations that make money from pokies, but for the purpose of this blog I will only look at the AFL.
Tighter restrictions need to be placed on Victorian clubs to ensure that they are not perceived to be accentuating the problem by feeding already vulnerable communities with more machines.
These clubs must stop dipping their toes into get-rich-quick schemes at the expense of social harmony.
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