Xenophon, Wilkie slam NRL over pokies fight
Updated 18 minutes ago
Independent MPs Nick Xenophon and Andrew Wilkie have lashed out at the National Rugby League for its new advertising campaign denouncing the Federal Government's proposed poker machine reforms.
The NRL has joined the campaign against the proposal to force punters to register and set daily betting limits.
An advertisement attacking the changes and featuring league great Steve Mortimer will be broadcast at football games for the rest of the season.
The NRL says clubs will have to spend $3 billion on technology to update machines that force punters to register and set daily betting limits. It says it will cost each club $100,000 per poker machine to install new technology.
But Senator Xenophon says many machines already have the capability, and it will only cost $1,000 for those machines that do not have the technology.
"If you want to play a high loss machine, where you can lose thousands of dollars an hour, then you'll need to sign up for pre-mandatory commitment," he said.
"But for the overwhelming majority of those that play poker machines, people don't put more than a dollar per spin, it won't affect them by having a low intensity machine where the losses are much lower than current machines.
Senator Xenophon says the NRL's advertising campaign is based on lies.
"It's a bit rich for the NRL to be lecturing people about gambling issues when they haven't got their own house in order when it comes to gambling scandals," he said.
"The NRL should get their own house in order before they start lecturing the rest of us about what should be done about gambling policy."
And Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who designed the reforms, says the NRL has shown a disappointing lack of leadership in its decision to join the campaign against the reforms.
He insists it is only clubs with a lot of problem gamblers who will be hurt.
"Who could possibly argue that it's OK to continue relying on the cash from problem gamblers," he said.
But the NRL says the survival of many of its football clubs are threatened by the Government's proposed poker machine reforms.
NRL chief David Gallop says clubs play a vital role in attracting kids to rugby league.
"Last year, clubs ran 1,130 junior rugby league clubs, and donated $40 million to help fund the purchase of football jumpers, shorts, socks, trophies, insurance, medical kits, referee outfits and ground development," he said.
"There are any number of gambling options in the community but none which contribute to the community in the way that the clubs movement does.
"Our concern is that these measures will not prevent problem gambling but that it will severely damage rugby league and other community sports."
Clubs Australia president Peter Newell says the reforms cost too much to implement and would devastate clubs.
"To the best of my knowledge, league clubs would lose anywhere between $1 and $2 billion if this were to go ahead," he said.
"In any case it's not sustainable from a revenue point of view or from a capital point of view."
In return for his support on the floor of Parliament, Mr Wilkie won the Government's backing for the introduction of mandatory pre-commitment technology for all gamblers playing the pokies in clubs, pubs and casinos.
But Clubs Australia declared "open warfare" on the Government, saying the changes will cost jobs.
