As blogged before, Clover Moore’s Small Bars Bill will go before the NSW parliament this week. At this stage, it seems doomed as both the Labor and Liberal parties want to keep lining their pockets with money from the AHA.
This bill comes after a week of discussion about extending gambling in NSW clubs and pubs. Keno is now slated to be introduced into NSW pubs. It is a sad state of affairs when the government is reliant on gambling as a significant source of revenue and pubs and clubs build their business plans around gambling.
One statistic from the week was that on a per capita basis, $750 is lost on gambling per year. What that statistic doesn’t reveal is that the losses and problems from gambling are heavily skewed towards lower wager earners and the poorer suburbs.
In a courageous move, Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court have put forward a proposal to remove pokies from the redeveloped Souths Sydney Leagues Club. The average NRL team relies heavily on revenue from associated leagues clubs. However, Crowe and Holmes a Court argue that they can match the revenue shortfall with a new business plan. Holmes a Court’s op-ed Poker machines: a curse we can well do without explains the rationale behind the move.
Not everyone who throws money down the maw of a pokie is a current or potential problem gambler. However the cost of problem gamblers to the community is devastating. The action of the NSW government in supporting the narrow minded views of the AHA is reprehensible. NSW’s pubs don’t need relaxations of restrictions regarding licenses. They need relaxations on restrictions in regard to entertainment licenses for example. Restrictions that hinder moves to entice customers via means other than simply installing more pokies.
I love the spin where they say that clubs will be ruined without pokies, as if clubs in other parts of the world don’t exist without them.
The same applies to the community argument. How is it that other communities around the world seem to be able to do kids sport and other activities without those proceeds in support?
Talk about taking the easy way out.
Kudos to Homes a Court and Crowe for daring to do something different for their club. Something that goes hand in hand in developing a new culture at Souths, one based on positives.
Yeah, and the Western Australian hotel industry contributes nothing to social dysfunction.
Thank you Robert Holmes a Court for all the support you believe Souths Juniors should give Souths Juniors.
In light of the fact that very few people in Oz seem to want to compare the treatment of indigenes in similar countries gambling is a good way to actually shine a little light in. In NZ. Canada and the US, for example, its interesting that all of those places appear to be doing better than us. Even if you factor in the latest billion dollar ‘liberation operation’.
Ranging from more autonomy and state assistance in Canada and NZ to more freedom for self-help in the US ,where Indian reservations may supply cheaper cigarette’s and casinos the scope for progressive comparisons is vast. The casino dollar in some US res’s goes to help rehabilitation , preservation and ultimately more reconciliation.
You might think a certain ‘Big Fella’ with a lot of very far right mates would be interested in casinos.
‘Certainly where they will ban nudie cards there they will burn men.’ ( professor Heiny)
Any change to revenue from pokies hurt the clubs. That’s the trouble when you put all your business plans in the one basket Phil.
The ban on smoking inside clubs/pubs has hurt pokie revenue as well. However, other reports suggest that there is an increase in pub patrons, especially women, since the ban on smoking to effect. So there are ways to increase patronage.
DD, can you clarify you last point re Holmes a Court/Souths Juniors?
Sure Shaun.
Holmes a Court is playing up the charitable aspect of dumping poker machines from the club. That’s fine; but the same time he’s presenting no business model for making up the shortfall of funds that won’t go into supporting junior rugby league, except to call for the Government to fund it instead.
Furthermore you should take note of his line that the State should support sport ‘directly rather than through pokies’. That Souths Leagues should itself be a supporter of junior sport doesn’t enter into the argument for him, and I suspect Souths are a great deal less concerned about the “social costs” of “problem” gambling than they are with minimising their tax bill.
DD, are you not confusing Souths Juniors which is a separate entity to Souths Leagues? The leagues club is to fund the football club. The decision does not affect Souths Juniors at all.