By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Club Noble has hit back at Greater Dandenong Council’s call for tighter regulations of pokie venues.
The council recently voted to lobby for a ban on inducements like free drinks and gifts as ploys to increase players’ gambling.
Mandatory breaks and daily time limits on gamblers would also be part of its submission to a State Government review of its responsible gambling code-of-conduct.
Club Noble president Barry Bradshaw said the Victorian club industry would refute that it was engaging in activities to increase the amount of money lost by people.
“The Victorian gaming sector is highly regulated to ensure that this type of behaviour does not exist and to ensure that adequate harm minimisation activities are in place”.
Mandatory breaks and daily time limits were “good in theory” but difficult to manage due to staff shift changes, Mr Bradshaw said.
The Noble Park-based venue did not provide gift incentives, he said.
“If requested however we will provide complimentary coffees to gaming patrons, which are usually consumed in the lounge area or outside terrace.
“We don’t consider this an inducement but a respite for patrons having time away from the gaming machines.”
Mr Bradshaw said an example cited by Cr Matthew Kirwan of a pokies venue using “coffees, drink shouts and toasties” to retain gamblers was “misleading”.
“They refer to a one-year-old Sydney Morning Herald report where a hotel employee in NSW reported a practice of spying on players to learn about their gambling patterns.
“More than any other state, the gaming sector in Victoria is highly regulated to ensure compliance.”
The council’s residents are one of the hardest-hit by poker machine losses, pouring in $121 million in 2017-18.
The Greater Dandenong area loses the most per adult (nearly $1000 a year each) on poker machines.
It has the second-highest number of machines (958) in greater Melbourne and yet is one of the most socio-economically disadvantaged.
According to a council report, for every dollar lost to pokie machines at local clubs in 2017-18, only three cents on average is returned to the community as donations, gifts and sponsorships, veterans support and volunteering expenses.
The council’s position supports the Alliance for Gambling Reform’s stance.
The alliance includes councils, organisations such as The Salvation Army and anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello.
