AFL - get your club out the pokies! - Alliance for Gambling Reform

Time for the AFL to ditch the gambling dollars

 

Sport brings us together, and that's what we love about it. Footy, in particular, is an integral part of our culture. It's about community. That's why it just doesn't make sense that clubs around Australia still use pokies to fund their operations, or for the AFL to be in bed with foreign bookmakers. 

What we're doing about it 

Since 2015, the Alliance has been working with supporters and Champions for Change to pressure AFL clubs to live up to their community values by ditching the pokies. When we started, only one Victorian club - North Melbourne - had not entered the pokies business. Now 13 clubs can proudly say they’re on the way to becoming pokies free! And it’s all thanks to people like you.

You’ve written letters, engaged fans, lobbied politicians and even run for Club Boards! Now we must turn our attention to the toxic culture developing at the highest levels - the endorsement of sports gambling by the AFL itself.

How you can help

With more clubs than ever now out of the pokies business, the good news is that momentum is building. In 2018, Collingwood and Melbourne sold their poker machine venues, while Geelong and the Western Bulldogs have promised to exit completely by the end of this year. But there’s still much to be done to get gambling dollars out of Australia’s favourite sport.

1. Tell the AFL to get out of bed with bookies

In 2017, AFL Chairman, Richard Goyder, publicly came out against the pokies. Now it’s time for the AFL to ditch their $50 MILLION gambling sponsorship with BetEasy and pledge to never again take another dollar from the gambling industry.

SEND YOUR MESSAGE to AFL Chairman Richard Goyder, telling him that Australians want gambling ads off our televisions and dirty dollars out of our League.

 

2. Tell your club to ditch the pokies

We need to keep the pressure on these clubs still driving gambling harm.

Click the club below and tell them to ditch the pokies!

 

 

2018-2019 POKIES LEAGUE LADDER

How did your club go....?

HAWTHORN

Still the worst
The amount that people lost to Hawthorn's pokies rose from $24.3m to $24.8m this year. Hawthorn's 2 gambling venues have a total of 165 machines.

CARLTON

Still a pokies club!
Carlton's pokies habit saw total losses decrease slightly from $18.4m to $17.7m this year. The club's 4 gambling venues host a staggering 290 machines.

ESSENDON

Still a pokies club!
Essendon's pokies investment resulted in a minor decrease from last year's total losses figure of $11.6m to this years $11.2m. Their 2 venues host 189 machines.

MELBOURNE

Now out of the pokies!
Melbourne exited the gambling industry in August of 2018. Before their exit, their 2 gambling venues had a total of 180 machines. They had cashed in $8.8m of people's losses.

COLLINGWOOD

Now out of the pokies!
Collingwood exited the gambling industry in December of 2018. Before their exit, their 2 gambling venues had a total of 156 machines. They had cashed in $7m of people's losses.

GEELONG

Getting out of the pokies!
Geelong are reducing their reliance on poker machine revenue and have indicated that they will be exiting the gambling industry at a later Date. This year, their sole gambling venue had a total of 80 machines in operation. The total losses at this venue increased from $6.3m to $7m.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Now out of the pokies!
The Bulldogs exited the poker machine industry in November of 2019. In the 2018-2019 year prior, their 2 venues and 65 machines were responsible for a minor decrease of total losses from $6m to $5.9m.

RICHMOND

Still a pokies club!
Richmond's poker machines have again cost Victorians $5.3m in losses this year. Their sole venue has 97 machines.

ST KILDA

Still a pokies club!
The total number of losses to St Ki Ida's poker machines has increased from $2m to $2.4m this year. Their sole venue has 83 machines.

BRISBANE & PORT ADELAIDE

Still a pokies clubs!
Losses data for Brisbane and Port Adelaide's gambling venues is unavailable. However, with Brisbane owning 200 machines, and Port Adelaide 63, it's bound to be high.

Figures quoted are obtained from VCGLR 2018-19 gaming expenditure data.


Last updated 06/09/2019.

Showing 2 reactions

  • Kate da Costa
    followed this page 2019-09-10 13:53:11 +1000
  • Stephen Cannings
    published this page in AFL 2019-09-06 14:13:49 +1000