South Morang pokie battle set to resume as Woolworths makes gambling profit

A BATTLE to keep pokies out of South Morang’s Commercial Hotel will resume next week as the pub’s majority owner, Woolworths, sees an increase in profit from gambling.

Whittlesea Interagency Taskforce on Gambling protesters Krishna Batmesswaran, Nessie Sayar and Olivia Naidoo out front of the Commercial Hotel. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano.

A BATTLE for pokies at South Morang’s Commercial Hotel will return to VCAT next week, as new figures reveal that pokies giant Woolworths made more than 10 per cent of its annual profit from gaming machines.

Woolworths own a majority stake in the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH), which owns poker machines at Whittlesea venues including the Plough Hotel in Mill Park and Excelsior Hotel in Thomastown.

It also owns the Commercial Hotel.

The group is fighting to have 40 machines at the South Morang venue after its application was knocked back by Whittlesea Council.

It has also taken The Alliance for Gambling Reform to the tribunal over the matter, with a hearing due to continue on September 20.

Alliance Director Tim Costello said the profit figures showed that Woolworths was becoming increasingly dependent on its 13,000 poker machines to prop up annual profits.

It made $233 million from poker machines in 2016-17.

“I call on the Woolworths directors to stop preying on vulnerable people to deliver unsustainable pokies profits,” Mr Costello said.

“Woolworths has made an extraordinary $2.4 billion out of its pokies business over the past 12 years or an average of $200 million a year.”

The Alliance is calling on state governments around Australia to better regulate the pokies industry.

“Woolworths is the biggest operator in the most damaging segment of the gambling industry, which enjoys more per capita profits in Australia than any other country,” Mr Costello said.

Whittlesea Council has maintained a hard line against the expansion of poker machines in the municipality.

At a council meeting in March, Mayor Ricky Kirkham said pokie machines should be limited.

“Poker machines are a scourge on our community and come at a terrible cost,” he said.

“They are designed for users to become addicted and lose money and council will not stay silent or stand back and allow more poker machines to reap greater harm on our community.”

Woolworths and ALH did not respond by deadline.