Hawthorn Football Club urged to withdraw from gaming industry

MONASH Council is calling on AFL heavyweight Hawthorn Football Club to fight the scourge of pokie machines.

MONASH Council is calling on AFL heavyweight Hawthorn Football Club to fight the scourge of pokie machines and walk away from the money-sucking venture.

The Hawks properties recorded $23.29 million in pokies losses for 2016-17, with $10.86 million of that coming at Mulgrave club Vegas at Waverley Gardens.

The move from the council comes after Melbourne Football Club announced its withdrawal from any financial interests attached to the gaming industry in early April.

MORE: Melbourne announces it has taken action to exit the gaming industr y

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Monash councillor Josh Fergeus said Hawthorn’s high standing and existing relationships in the Monash community made it appropriate to communicate with them on this issue.

“Hawthorn Football Club has a long association with Monash,” he said.

“They owe it to the community to be good corporate citizens and take their influential position seriously.

“Pokies are deeply harmful to our community, and right now Hawthorn FC are directly responsible for machines which deliver millions of dollars of losses in Monash,” he said.

Monash historically is among the worst areas in Melbourne for pokie losses, held up by the fact that in the past 20 years more than $2.3 billion has been lost at almost $120 million a year.

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Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation figures show more than $75 million has been lost in the financial year to February in Monash.

Hawthorn’s Cyril Rioli celebrates Hawthorn’s 2015 AFL premiership. Picture: David Caird

Cr Geoff Lake said Hawthorn held itself as a family club yet it “couldn’t be further from family-friendly” when they operated that number of pokie machines in vulnerable communities.

“It is no accident these machines are located where they are,” he said.

“Hawthorn Football Club doesn’t have pokies in Hawthorn, Toorak or South Yarra. They have them in disadvantaged areas such as at Waverley Gardens, which borders with Dandenong … and it is completely unconscionable that these AFL clubs are held up by our community as examples for our kids. We look up to them and respect them,” he said.

Hawthorn Football Club did not respond for comment.

COUNCIL APPLAUDED

A LEADING group of organisations with a shared concern about the harmful impact of gambling in Australian culture has applauded Monash Council’s move.

More: Carlton powerbroker Bruce Mathieson says Hawthorn would be dead without poker machines

Alliance for Gambling Reform director Tim Costello said Monash Council was showing “great leadership on pokies reform” in challenging Hawthorn.

“Hawthorn and Jeff Kennett should lead rather than fight pokies reform, which is inevitable, considering Australians suffer the greatest per capita gambling losses of any nation, with the pokies contributing about $13 billion of the $25 billion that will be lost in 2018,’’ he said.

“After Melbourne’s bold move, there is growing momentum for a broader AFL club exit from the pokies industry and if Hawthorn refuses to budge, it will undermine its reputation as the family club.

“Hawthorn members don’t like being known as the pokies club and the board could risk a challenge at the 2018 AGM if they ignore public pressure from the City of Monash and the wider community.”