Pokies club hits back at Greens
A LARA pokies venue has warned it may axe jobs and community facilities if members vote for the Greens at the state election.
The Lara Sporting Club voiced concerns over any push to remove pokies from clubs days after the Greens announced a policy to phase out pokies by 2028.
Pokies punters lost $1.95 million to the Mill Rd club’s machines in 2017/18 — and more than $5 million over the past three financial years.
“We are not telling our members how to vote, but our community needs to understand what their vote represents and how it can directly affect our ability to financially support our community,” Lara Sporting Club general manager Brendon Chavasse said.
“Invariably an uneducated vote could well lead to the demise of our club. Local jobs will be at risk and community facilities could well become unviable.”
While the statement released by the club did not directly refer to the Greens, it was distributed via an email titled ‘Greens continue to misrepresent facts surrounding EGMs’.
“Lara Sporting Club are concerned that a ban on electronic gaming machines, as proposed by the Greens, would severely impact the club’s resources to such an extent that they would be unable to continue to provide any meaningful support for their members, local sporting clubs, schools, charitable organisations and the wider community,” the email from Public Relations Exchange read.
The club, which spruiks itself as a not-for-profit, declined to share any audited financial reports with the Geelong Advertiser, nor would it provide a breakdown of where its pokies revenue was directed.
Alliance for Gambling Reform director Tim Costello said the club ought to move away from a reliance on pokies revenue, and avoid playing politics.
“Like so many pokies venues, Lara Sporting Club makes millions from gamblers and contributes to the enormous social harm caused by pokies through family breakdown, suicide and bankruptcy,” Mr Costello said.
“The vast majority of Victoria’s pokies clubs have ignored the urging of their peak body to get involved in the state election campaign, instead realising that the community is sick of excessive gambling in the community and keen for change.”
The Greens have declared they want pokies gone from pubs and clubs in 10 years.
“Refusing to take action against pokies is costing lives,” leader Samantha Ratnam said when announcing the policy.
“The harm they cause forces people into debt, ruins relationships and results in spiralling mental health issues.”
Under the plan, the 20-year licence extension would be repealed, a one-off licence would run from 2022 until 2028, after which no licences would be issued.
The Geelong region posted its highest September pokies losses in 2018, with 1305 machines swallowing $10.1 million.
Geelong’s pokies are on track to chew through a record $127 million this financial year.