And its not a case of do I think Pokies are ethical or not. And its not a case of do I believe the NRL revenue structure is correct, because quite frankly i don't like it, and haven't for some time.
But people have choices in life. They chose to play the pokies.
Now I like the punt every now and then, but I'm not going to register just to play once in a blue moon.
So this is the revenue these clubs will be losing.
And if its not gambling, they'll find something else to fill their time. Alcohol perhaps where they will form a new part of "Binge Drinking" culture in Australia.
At the end of the day, some people...no matter how much help is provided is going are just gonna be screwups.
I prefer my idea for revenue raising. Create an NRL lottery under the cloak of NRL Foundation, a non-for-profit company. Then all proceeds of revenue raised outside of winnings from the public, goes directly to the juniors and community. Allows players to go to schools, allows infrastructure to be set up in areas where expansion is headed and in particular creation of junior teams. Funding country rugby league initiatives, starting a program about the importance of exercise and curbing childhood obesity. But then again the wowsers here would say I'm praying on gambling addiction again.