OT: Gillard's deal with Wilkie may impact our club earnings

[Gronk]

Clubs on the warpath over Julia Gillard's pokies deal

• By Simon Benson and Patrick Karvelas

Prime Minister Julia Gillard greets Tasmanian Independent MP Andrew Wilkie during negotiations / AAP






The deal with Mr Wilkie has increased Ms Gillard's chances of forming a government.
She agreed to introduce the technology into the country's 200,000 pokies by 2014 and vowed to use constitutional powers to legislate if the state and territory governments resisted.
The clubs industry accused her of breaking a promise to 4000 registered clubs to consult with the industry on poker machine laws and it threatened to lobby the three rural independents - Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Bob Katter - who will decide the government's fate.
The deal came as Mr Windsor said he would be aiming to decide who to support by Monday, and indicated that the three independents could go their separate ways.


Problem gambling
Clubs Australia executive director Anthony Ball said the undertaking to implement a mandatory pre-commitment system for all poker machines across Australia as well as to limit ATM cash withdrawals to just $250 a day were completely untested.
He said the measures would close rural clubs, cost jobs, inconvenience recreational gamblers and club users, and do nothing to alleviate problem gambling.
"She's done this without consultation and without any evidence to support it as an effective harm minimisation measure," Mr Ball said.
"Julia Gillard wrote to Clubs Australia and committed herself to consultation in developing gambling policy.
"That commitment has been broken. We won't just take that sitting down."
The NSW Government alone reaped more than $1 billion from pokies taxes in the past financial year.
Mandatory "pre-commitment" technology, largely untested, will put computers in charge of 160,000 problem gamblers, placing self-imposed limits on the amount they can put through machines.
But most poker machine users could still bet to maximum limits.
Ms Gillard said it was not a total solution to problem gambling "but it's a good way forward".



Read more: http://www.news.com.au/features/fed...al/story-e6frfllr-1225913529838#ixzz0yTXrlMEf

http://www.news.com.au/features/fed...ards-pokies-deal/story-e6frfllr-1225913529838http://www.news.com.au/features/fed...al/story-e6frfllr-1225913529838#ixzz0yTXrlMEf​

 

[Gronk]

Not that it's a bad thing. Personally I am saddened by the problems that gambling brings to some families and that we rely on those profits to fund our team.

 

[bartman]

If Denis was still at our club, he'd be up in arms on behalf of the club industry.

I wonder if people will be equally critical of Denis's successors at Parra if they now come out and talk up the pokies and talk down this positive move?

 

[Twizzle]

So what makes her an expert on gambling problems ?

Is there any proof that this will actually reduce problem gambling ?

 

[MarkInTheStands]

I spoke about this at the last AGM,

the productivity commission has already reported what it believes will help stop problem gambling and that is slowing the rate of $ that can be spent. I think it is a $1 per minute or something still like that, with a 83% return rate, you could sit on a Pokie for long time and not lose to much.

The leagues club annual report stated that this sort of thing had the ability to negatively effect the profits of the club. Not that we need much help at the moment.

The big thing in this is, how do you detect problem gamblers? Then get them to sign up for this system, and make it mandatory for them to use the smart card technology.

And please before anyone starts, I know a great deal more about problem gambling then most. This will do nothing but slow the problem, it wont resolve it, problem gamblers will still put the money in the machine, in hopes of hitting the mythical "Big one" then all of their problems will be over.

 

[NorthShoreEel]

I will believe it when I see it.

It is not as easy as these two saying it is a done deal.

What next - a limit of $1 eachway on the races?

Like I said - I will believe it, when I see it.

 

[fish eel]

There was a study that the Victorian government released that demonstrated in Victoria, poker machine addiction is the second biggest driver to crime behind drugs

 

[Gronk]

I've got a better idea then.

 

[PJ Marshal]

man fish you and julia gillard look alike

 

[strider]

if the machines are so f'n evil then just get rid of them ... i am sick of governments acting all caring when they play a big part in their existance .... just f'n get rid of the things

 

[MarkInTheStands]

The problem is, Problem gamblers will always find a way to gamble. At least at clubs it is to some point regulated if gamblers get pushed to underground gambling, abandon all hope.

 

[born an eel]

it's lucky that Labour will have the NBN to let these problem gamblers have somewhere to go and loose their money quicker.

And MITS you are probably well aware that slowing the speed will not work as problem gamblers will just play more than 1 machine at a time, it is not uncommon to jam a coaster into the button and sit at the bar and watch the progress of the machines.

 

[SDM]

Parra Leagues have done their bit in addressing gambling by making it almost impossible to bet on the races for a few years now. (I haven't been upstairs this year - is there a TAB yet?)

 

[NorthShoreEel]

it's lucky that Labour will have the NBN to let these problem gamblers have somewhere to go and loose their money quicker.

Internet gambling has been available for a lot longer than Labor's rule. It wouldnt matter who was in power, it was going to happen.

It will become a MUCH bigger problem than pokies. You watch. The next generation are much more computer literate than current gamblers.

Why do you think there are less and less TAB's around? Internet betting is huge.

I have been a punter since I can remember. Working for a bookie (Don Bowron) at Wenty when I was 15, and still at school.

The bookies at the track have gone, next it will be TAB's (except for in clubs & pubs), because NOBODY punts at the TAB after 6pm or on weekdays, to justify having them open.

The last round of closures, was on the basis that the branch must be turning over $80,000+ per week, plus, have a certain level of tickets go through the terminal. The next time they do it, it will be $100000 per week. The TAB dont care about 50c punters that are 50+, that spend their day at the TAB, and turn over $20.

The internet is where all of the big money is going, and it is scary to think, how many issues there are going to be in the future.

At least the pokies are turned off for a minimum of 3 hours every day - to get them out of the clubs. The internet is on forever.

 

[El Diablo]

She agreed to introduce the technology into the country's 200,000 pokies by 2014

so what happens if Labor lose the next election which will be before 2014 :?

i'm presuming they'll get the numbers in this one

 

[Tank30]

Could not be a better to come out of the fiasco that was the federal election, other than to ban them altogether. For those who say that problem gamblers will just find another avenue, I can atest to the fact that we won't.

The self ban is an ok stop gap at the moment but this relies on the staff of the venue being able to recognise and remove people who place themselves on the list.

Limiting cash withdrawals to $250 is a brilliant idea as well, I don't care who you are or how much you earn if you are losing $250 in one sitting on the pokies you have a problem.

If the clubs need to minimise their growth and in some cases disappear altogether, I am not bothered. How did these clubs survive before they were allowed so many pokies in the past? Maybe if they did not expand into massive parasites who attached themselves to poker machines in the first place, they would not be feeling the pinch now.

That is my little rant, and I am speaking from experience when I say that poker machines are a blight on families and communities and should be restricted or even reverted back to the one arm bandits, oh wait a minute you couldn't lose your entire paycheck in a hour on those so the clubs and pubs probably wouldn't be interested in them.

 

[bazza]

Hopefully these changes will do some of the following:

1. Make Parra Leagues an inviting place to go if you want to do something other than watch pretend reels spin around
2. Get the football club to do more to increase crowds, membership and sponsorship

 

[Gronk]

Hopefully these changes will do some of the following:

1. Make Parra Leagues an inviting place to go if you want to do something other than watch pretend reels spin around
2. Get the football club to do more to increase crowds, membership and sponsorship

Here here. We are forced to go to the Rose & Crown for a pre game beer & feed because Cafe 88 is packed (and also crap food) and we have kids with us. The way the club is structured, your patronage is not really wanted unless you are pumping cash into the pokies.

After a season at the R&C I can honestly say that I won't be hurrying back to the club.

 

[fish eel]

so what happens if Labor lose the next election which will be before 2014 :?

i'm presuming they'll get the numbers in this one

You would find a lead in time necessary hence the 2014 date and they will move towards this before the next election less they lose Wilkies support. While it may not be up and running before the next election the wheels would certainly be in motion.

Interestingly as well, Abbott was said to be seriously considering the same thing but shot himself in the foot falling got Wilkies hospital honeytrap

 

[MarkInTheStands]

Could not be a better to come out of the fiasco that was the federal election, other than to ban them altogether. For those who say that problem gamblers will just find another avenue, I can atest to the fact that we won't.

Sorry to say, but before they were legal, gamblers found a way to play "Illegal" poker machines.

But now they will go one better, Internet Gambling, not only can you do a whole paycheck in a hour there, you can do it while earning frequent flyer miles, playing the same games on your PC.

The problem is there is no place to have a Drink/Feed/Socialise.

But what most people also need to realise is that most of these clubs were built to earn money for their causes. Not as a "Lucrative" side stream.

The problem we are going to have is that we don't have a consistent supporters base willing to shell out the $$$ to be members. I think you will find next year, quite scary if you want to rely on Sponsors $ and Membership $.