By Jon Pierik
A group of Essendon supporters is confident it has forced a vote on a change to the club’s constitution that would acknowledge the social harm its poker machine licences have caused.
The grassroots “No Pokies at Essendon” group, which goes by NoPE and is led by president Mike Read, met with the Bombers on Tuesday. The group unveiled the 100 signatures needed to force a vote at the club’s annual general meeting on whether it should “publish a statement in future annual reports acknowledging that the operation of its 191 EGMs [electronic gaming machines] is causing social harm”.
Approached: Essendon CEO Craig Vozzo is dealing with a group of club members calling for greater acknowledgment of the alleged harm the club’s poker machine licences have caused.Credit: Justin McManus
The Bombers own gaming licences at two venues – Windy Hill, which has 101 machines, and Melton Country Club, which has 89 machines. The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission data shows that gamblers lost more than $14 million this year alone across the two venues, and more than $235 million since 2006.
However, NoPE faces a tough task, for under the Essendon constitution, a special resolution needs to secure at least 75 per cent of the votes to pass. The Bombers had more than 83,500 members this season, but only those aged 18 and older can vote. Members can only vote once, no matter how many memberships a person has.
“Forcing a vote on a social issue is an event which rarely, if ever, happens at AFL clubs. The support we’ve received just to reach this stage highlights the real concern that many Essendon members have about this issue,” Read said.
“We are a fan base who just want to be able to be proud of our club again.”
A club spokesman said the Bombers were aware that the signatures were being gathered. The vote would take place at this year’s AGM, which will be held in mid-December.
Bombers president David Barham said at last year’s AGM that the club was not in position yet to divest from pokies revenue. He said the money from pokies was used in part to support the football program.
Essendon’s gaming venues at Windy Hill, which has 101 machines.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Read said on Tuesday he understood this argument, but hopes the resolution he has tabled makes the club more focused “to get out of pokies” and have alternative revenue streams. He said the club should support the resolution.
“This resolution essentially asks the club to acknowledge two things. One, the expert research on the far-reaching damage caused by problem gambling linked to EGMs. And two, the role of gambling providers in contributing to that harm,” Read said.
The grassroots “No Pokies at Essendon” group is hoping for a change in the Bombers’ constitution.
In 2018, Melton City Council approved a 29-year lease extension, allowing Essendon to continue operating Melton Country Club and its 89 poker machines until the end of 2047.
The Bombers are among four clubs in the AFL that currently own gaming venues, alongside Carlton, Richmond and St Kilda. Collectively these clubs own eight gaming venues and 670 poker machines, with gamblers losing $40.2 million this year alone.
Gamblers have lost more than $19.5 million on electronic machines owned by the Blues, more than $4.5 million on those owned by the Tigers and more than $1.7 million on machines owned by the Saints, according to data from the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.
The off-field arms race at AFL clubs continues apace, Bombers’ chief executive Craig Vozzo last month emailing members to explain why the club was again raising prices for some memberships, mostly in the higher or premium categories, for the second year in a row.
This sparked a significant number of complaints, Vozzo explaining the Bombers had raised prices “to ensure we can both continue to invest in our football programs at a comparable level to other high-performing AFL clubs”.
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