By Casey Neill
The pokies regulator has knocked back Club Noble’s bid for 20 new machines fearing a negative social impact.
The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) rejected the application on Friday 21 July because it was not satisfied that the extra poker machines would not be detrimental to community wellbeing.
It found that they would lead to an increase in gaming expenditure in an area where residents “have little to no ability to incur gambling losses without harm”.
Greater Dandenong has more electronic gaming machines per adult than all but one Victorian municipality, at 7.9 per 1000.
That’s 48.7 per cent higher than the metropolitan average and 40 per cent more than the state average.
The VCGLR report also said that Greater Dandenong residents spent $975 per adult on gaming in 2015-16 – 76.2 per cent higher than the state average.
That would likely increase by $289,077 in the first 12 months of the 20 new machines being switched on and “a high proportion of this expenditure will be associated with problem gambling”.
The VCGLR said there was a correlation “between EGM density and incidents of police-recorded domestic violence”.
“If the application is granted, there may be a more acute risk of an increase in gambling-related crime and social disturbance (including family violence),” the report said.
The VCGLR acknowledged that Club Noble planned $4.75 million in works at the site if its bid got the green light, would add more than five jobs and pay for additions counselling, but gave these factors marginal weight.
“The commission considers there is already an ease of access and high levels of consumer choice for anyone choosing to play EGMs,” the report said.
Alliance for Gambling Reform spokesman Stephen Mayne said the judgement was very powerful and called on Club Noble not to challenge the decision at VCAT.
“Enough is enough, Noble Park Football Club should be exploring way to reduce their pokies numbers, not inflict even greater harm on an already vulnerable community,” he said.
In May the Journal reported that Greater Dandenong councillors unanimously knocked back the bid, despite a report from Ratio Consultants finding the project would “have a slightly positive net social and economic impact on the local community”.
Cr Matthew Kirwan said the council’s decision to oppose the machines was a hard decision but the right one.
“The Noble Park Football Social Club is a great community club but more pokies will do more damage to our community whoever owns them,” he said.
“In my mind this validates the council decision, which was a difficult one given the many other worthwhile contributions by the applicant, and makes an important statement going forward about the consideration of the factor of domestic violence in these decisions.”
During the council debate on the decision, Cr Kirwan said Greater Dandenong lost more money to electronic gaming machines (EGM) per adult than any other Victorian municipality.
Losses in 2015-16 topped $119 million, or $326,000 a day.
Cr Kirwan said not everyone was a problem gambler but 15 per cent of EGM users were, and they accounted for 40 per cent of EGM losses.
He said it was the most addictive form of gambling in Australia and three quarters of people being harmed by gambling principally used EGMs.
“It makes no sense to make these problems worse,” he said.
Club Noble was unable to comment on the decision at this time.
