Manningham council buys RSL, leases it back to the group on condition they scrap pokies, calls on Geelong to do likewise

Geelong council could consider following a Melbourne council’s move to buy an RSL and lease it back to the club on the condition they dump their pokies in a unique anti-gambling harm initiative.

A Melbourne council has bought an RSL and leased it back to the club on the condition they dump their pokies, in a unique anti-gambling harm initiative that Geelong may consider copying.

Manningham council on Tuesday revealed it had purchased the Templestowe RSL property earlier this month, then voting to lease it back to the club as long as pokies machines were scrapped.

The move came at the request of the RSL’s president, who feared the club’s potential financial collapse would allow it to be filled with pokies or sold off to developers by RSL Victoria.

Manningham Councillors also voted for the city’s mayor to write to about 30 Victorian councils with RSL pokies venues — including Geelong — to inform them of the move and encourage them to consider doing likewise.

Geelong councillor Sarah Mansfield said it was worth considering adding the “really interesting approach” to the city’s Electronic Gaming Policy, which is currently under review.

“I’d be keen to discuss the approach with my fellow councillors, about whether this is something we include in our revised gambling policy, at least as an option, thinking about how we can assist clubs and other venues to get out of pokies if that’s something they’re interested in doing,” Cr Mansfield said.

“Obviously they have these unique circumstances in Manningham where this worked out for all parties.

“I have no idea whether that’s something our local RSL would be interested in, but I think it is a really creative way to address the issue of pokies and ensure some of these clubs can remain open without having to rely on the revenue from poker machines.”

Punters have lost more than $10m to the Geelong RSL’s poker machines over the past three years, with that number set to quickly rise due to the addition of 30 new machines to its gaming room last financial year — bringing its total to 72.

The city failed to block the addition of 30 new pokies machines to the club in 2018, arguing it would lead to a rise in problem gambling.

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In September, the council voted to oppose an application from the Waurn Ponds Hotel to increase its gaming room — where punters have lost almost $50m to the hotel’s gaming room over the past decade — from 70 pokies machines to 81.

Cr Mansfield put forward the motion to oppose the application, and also for the city to declare its opposition to any new electronic gaming machines in the region and to write to the State Government requesting a review of a pokies machine cap on the region.

Geelong community life director Robyn Stevens on Friday said the city would “commend any efforts to minimise the harm gambling can have on communities”, but did not say whether it would consider the purchase and lease of the Geelong RSL if the opportunity would arise.

The Geelong region has lost more than $2.5bn to poker machines since their 1992 introduction, according to Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation data.

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Originally published as Manningham council buys RSL, leases it back to the group on condition they scrap pokies, calls on Geelong to do likewise