Wyndham Council to decide on ‘Club Tarneit’ pokie proposal

A football club’s plan to install 70 new pokie machines in Melbourne’s outer west could cost residents millions, a gambling reform advocate warns.

Anti-gambling advocate Rev Tim Costello said the location of Club Tarneit was a concern given its proximity to a nearby retirement village.

A proposed new pokie den in Melbourne’s outer west could rip up to $8 million from the pockets of vulnerable families hit by COVID-19 job losses.

Werribee Football Club’s proposal for dozens of new pokie machines at a new venue in Tarneit will tonight be discussed by Wyndham Council at its first general meeting for 2021.

Club Tarneit, proposed for 628 Leakes Rd, will include a bistro, children’s play area, sports bar, three function areas and a gaming lounge with 70 electronic gaming machines, according to plans submitted to the council.

The gaming lounge would open from 8am to 2am and construction of the venue is expected to cost $12 million and create 42 ongoing full-time jobs.

In December, the Victorian Civil and Administration Tribunal rejected an application for 80 gaming machines at a venue proposed for another site on Leakes Rd.

The developer, Truganina Metropolitan Pty Ltd, told the council NRL club Melbourne Storm would run the venue.

Werribee Football Club already operates the Tigers Clubhouse in Hoppers Crossing, which rakes in almost $11 million a year through 85 pokie machines, according to information provided by the Alliance for Gambling Reform.

Council officers have recommended councillors oppose the football club’s application in tonight’s meeting agenda.

Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Reverend Tim Costello said residents saved money during lockdown in part because gaming venues were closed.

This helped them put food on the table during a time when many Melburnians were out of work or under financial pressure, he said.

“We saw the respite given to those suffering from gambling harm when pokies venues closed, but we also saw how vulnerable the community was during the COVID-19 restrictions,” Rev Costello said.

“While the Werribee Football Club claims to have the intention of providing community services and amenities for the community through the income of these machines, the harm that will be done by this venue far outweighs any good it will do for the community.”

The alliance also estimates locals could lose up to $8 million in Club Tarneit’s first year of operation.

Rev Costello said the venue’s proposed location was also a concern given its proximity to the nearby Wyndham Grange retirement village.