By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong Council plans to discourage residents and staff from organising events at pokies venues, as part of its latest draft gambling policy.
The council also proposes to stop funding clubs or hotels with poker machines, as well as to no longer accept money from the gambling industry.
It would also ban gambling promotion in council-owned venues – except ones that are already gaming venues.
Council-supported clubs would also be discouraged from accepting money from the gambling industry.
The council bases its strong anti-pokie stance on the high gambling losses sustained by its vulnerable population.
Gamblers lost $103 million on gaming machines in Greater Dandenong in 2021-’22 – equivalent to $280,000 a day, a council report stated.
Councillor Sean O’Reilly unsuccessfully argued to strike out the “counter-productive” and “ideological” changes.
The council should instead aim for a more “nuanced” approach to reduce gambling harms, rather than marginalise Dandenong, Springvale and Noble Park RSLs who otherwise do “good things”, Cr O’Reilly said.
He said it was hypocritical for the council to receive funding from the State Government, which derives vast gambling revenue.
In favour of the policy, Cr Rhonda Garad said the council can’t “support or align ourselves with a predatory industry”.
“There is no way any part of the gambling sector is contributing to the health and welfare of our community.”
She noted that RSL and AFL clubs were “begging” the State Government to be weaned off pokies revenue.
“We need to read the room.”
In what is the second-lowest income area in Melbourne, pokies losses in Greater Dandenong are the state’s second highest per adult.
The losses were equivalent to feeding nearly 40,000 children for a year.
Problem gambling leads to poverty, personal distress, social isolation, family conflict, unproductivity at work and crime to obtain money, the report stated.
The rise of online and sports betting was luring a younger cohort.
“Low incomes and high rates of unemployment, aggravated by rising food, housing and utility costs, make gambling-related problems and their impact upon residents an issue of acute concern for our community,” the report stated.
The council will provide $75,000 to the Alliance for Gambling Reform over the next three years.
Greater Dandenong has been an alliance member and part of a leadership group of 21 Victorian councils.
The alliance is pressing for AFL clubs and Woolworths to relinquish their pokies interests.
It is lobbying for political candidates not to accept donations from the gambling industry, reduced opening hours at pokies venues and more restrictions on gambling advertising.
