Andrews government blocking push by RSLs and footy clubs to get out of pokies

Dan Andrews has been accused of putting cash before people after it emerged his government is blocking a push by RSLs and footy clubs to get out of pokies.

Victorian footy clubs and RSLs trying to get out of pokies by offloading lucrative long-term licences have hit a brick wall with the Andrews government.

Several pokies venues, including at the home of St Kilda Football Club, want to leave the industry despite the money to be made.

But government sources say a push to hand back licences has fallen on deaf ears with Premier Daniel Andrews, with clubs already locked in to 20-year pokie deals signed in 2018.

Alliance for Gambling Reform spokesman Tim Costello has lashed the Premier, saying: “Daniel Andrews is holding these clubs back from doing the right thing, and is putting people’s welfare at risk.

“The motto is to ‘gamble responsibly’ but the state government needs to be responsible as well and reduce harm.

“Victorians are sick of the pokies and if the venues want to (quit), what is stopping the Premier from assisting?

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been accused of putting people’s welfare at risk by not allowing pokie venues to end their licences. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

“When clubs are doing the socially responsible thing, it’s the government being socially irresponsible.”

Mr Costello said the government should look at buyback schemes for anyone wanting to leave the industry.

It’s understood options have been floated with the government, including to transfer unwanted licences to other operators or to “retire” licences in some areas.

It comes as Kingston Council – which houses St Kilda’s Moorabbin home base – ­lobbies to reduce a cap on pokies in the area, from 1200 to the 954 now licensed.

Senior figures within the club are uncomfortable about a pokies venue sitting next to the Danny Frawley Centre for Health and Wellbeing, which aims to tackle mental health problems in the community.

Clubs and venues wanting to escape pokies have launched a petition behind the scenes, but have so far declined to publicly campaign for change.

In 2018, the government’s pokies licence scheme was heavily criticised for locking venues into two decades of entitlements that had to be paid upfront.

The 20-year licences to run pokies kicked in from last month, and the first set of payments is due in November.

Last financial year $2.237bn was lost on poker machines across Victoria.

Licence fees were in part determined by how much revenue each machine made between 2013-14 and 2016-17, and many venues spent heavily to hold on to machines they no longer want.

In the last financial year $2.237bn was lost on poker machines across Victoria.

A government spokesman said last night that all venue operators were aware of the financial commitments for purchasing entitlements before participating in the allocation process for entitlements.

Over that time, the state raked in $868m in taxes from machines, and they are now expected to fill government coffers to the tune of at least $1.2bn each year, including ­licence payments.

There’s been a growing push among AFL clubs in recent years to reconsider their reliance on gaming revenue.

Some insiders believe the sentiment has shifted further in the time since these clubs inked the new long-term deals.

Hawthorn was one of the highest-profile clubs to quit pokies this year by selling entire venues, transferring the licence to a new owner.

Senior figures within St Kilda Football Club are uncomfortable about a pokies venue sitting next to the Danny Frawley Centre for Health and Wellbeing. Picture: Michael Klein

But clubs such as St Kilda, which rents land off Kingston Council, do not have the same option and will have to remove or transfer their licences.

A club spokeswoman said: “St Kilda Football Club has been open and transparent in its preference to transition from operating an electronic gaming machine venue at its home ground in Moorabbin.

“The club is actively investigating multiple options to achieve this but it would be premature to speculate on the nature of any solution.”

Kingston Council, which covers the Moorabbin venue, has an aggressive policy of reducing gambling harm, including campaigning to ensure pokies venues are not near grocery stores.

Mayor Steve Staikos said the council owned the land for two venues with pokies, St Kilda’s Moorabbin base and a local bowls club.

“As the landlord there is a an expectation those venues will move away from the machines when they can,” he said.

“The negative impact on people’s lives is significant. We are leading the local government sector in this area of harm minimisation.”