Essendon can't live without pokies funding says David Barham

[Outtatym]

Frankly I couldnt care less if any club make money off pokies...they are all taking money from gambling anyway through AFL sponsorship anyway.

My only issue is with the constant barrage of odds from browny, billy or some other has-been flog during the telecast or at the ground. Young kids shouldnt be subjected to that imho. If you're a punter you'll find what you need.

 

[In the Thirds]

What’s the issue if clubs make money from polices, it’s not like it’s going stop people playing pokies, the licences for the machine will just go to another provider.

Pokies are legal, all said and done, the AFL /clubs are happy to take money from betting agencies.

I don’t see ARL clubs getting out of the pokie business, for some reason AFL clubs seem to want to be the moracle police man.

 

[bobs head soup]

legally only required to hold documents for 7 years.. IT was (coming on) 12 years ago dude, let it go

Yep, 12 years or so ago EFC promised us spreadsheets that show how well governed their supplements program was and yet still crickets.

Sorry, but it's going to be referred to for years to come, it's just the gift that keeps on giving (unless someone finds them of course).

 

[FlyHigh18]

I do think there is a notable difference between club run pokies and AFLs online betting sponsor.

Firstly, much of the betting advertising we see is actually from the broadcaster and not the AFL.

Secondly, the AFL gets their money via the levy / royalty from each bet. Even if the AFL says no, online betting will still exist for other sports.

The movement against pokies has been around for decades, while the impact of online betting is only just hitting the headlines.

I don’t think it’s hypercritical, just one step at a time, kill the cancer that is local pokies, then turn attention to the much bigger beast that is online betting.

 

[Back One Out]

Can live without them, it would just mean cutting costs and/or getting a bigger distribution of funds from the AFL.

It's not something you can just switch off, you need to transition it. As he said, they're looking at ways to do that.

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It's utterly disgraceful to see AFL clubs are still ripping millions of dollars out of the community in 2023. Preying on the weakness and gambling addiction of those who can least afford it. Innocent children going hungry because their pokies-addicted parents blew their week's pay on rigged machines that are carefully designed to maximise the take from each and every punter.

I thought we were past all that.

It's blood money, pure and simple.

Essendon should change their nickname back to the Blood-Stained N-words.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

This is just some nonsense because you want to blindly defend your club.

Carlton run a gambling business. They are the direct source of the problem and make a conscious decision to profit by tricking people into ruining their lives.

North, and 13 other clubs, are part of the AFL. The AFL decide to let gambling businesses advertise with them.

Say that you work for a law firm as an EA and one of their clients is a drug dealer who sells ice to kids. Who is worse? The drug dealer or the EA at the law firm?

By your logic, the EA is getting money from someone who gets money from someone who sells ice to kids, so they are no better. That's silly.

It’s not nonsense. The AFL make a conscious decision to run gambling adds at stadiums and on TV. North (and Carlton) directly benefit from these advertisements, many of them targeted at young adults and children. Seems far more predatory than privately owned pokies at licensed venues where only people who want to gamble will enter. Though both are targeted at vulnerable people.

Poor analogy. Instead of supplying drugs directly to the community, these days North just pass on another dealers number in exchange for a % of the profits. They sold all of their equipment to said dealer who continues to cook and supply drugs at the same rate. They brag about how much they’ve profited off selling the equipment. How noble of them.

I would be happy to see it all go.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

It’s not nonsense. The AFL make a conscious decision to run gambling adds at stadiums and on TV. North (and Carlton) directly benefit from these advertisements, many of them targeted at young adults and children. Seems far more predatory than privately owned pokies at licensed venues where only people who want to gamble will enter. Though both are targeted at vulnerable people.

Poor analogy. Instead of supplying drugs directly to the community, these days North just pass on another dealers number in exchange for a % of the profits. They sold all of their equipment to said dealer who continues to cook and supply drugs at the same rate. They brag about how much they’ve profited off selling the equipment. How noble of them.

I would be happy to see it all go.

There's research that the public health harm and proportion of problem gambling is far greater for pokies than it is for sports betting though. What you "seem" isn't backed up by the statistics at all.

 

[terrybull]

Touched on something that most simpletons seem to overlook.

Watch broadcast on one of the plethora of platforms, SEN, Triple M, Fox Footy, Channel 7 and you can't go a preview without Billy Brownless, Dale Thomas, Josh Jenkins, Campbell Brown giving us the odds of the game yet here we are thinking unadvertised revenue in a clubs pocket is worse than the plain daylight robbery of online gambling more readily available than poke machines.

The AFL makes more money from gambling revenue than any other paying advertiser, people can moan all they want but its safe to say they (gambling industry) is not going anywhere.

It’s also easier to see and criticize other vices then to see and admit one’s own (or dampen it as not as harmful).

 

[terrybull]

North's wasn't a courageous decision. Their venues continued to haemorrhage money. It was a business decision and only that. They were smart to get infront of the media and span it to suit the narrative.
A month after getting rid of their pokies they released "roobet" which also tanked.

Melbourne's wasn't courageous either. They got offered a ton of money from the VRC for leighoak club (well above what it was valued at and what would've taken years to make) so they sold. Bentleigh club was losing money years before they got out of it

And before you bring the hawks into it, had the hawks not been offered a sweetheart deal, they'd still be in the pokies game

To pretend clubs give a damn about the community is stupid. Clubs are clubs in name only, they're for all purposes a business who hide behind a club moniker to avoid tax

So all clubs have done it, and some remain.

But some fans here are preaching high morals and also froth venom at the clubs that have yet to stop.

Reminds me of the smokers that chained smoke every day in their life and had the determination and will power to stop.
But did some ex-smokers have an understanding of those that continued? They preached and condemned smokers more than those that never smoked. Sure they had the experience, but calling someone vile, evil and stupid won’t make it better.

 

[terrybull]

There's research that the public health harm and proportion of problem gambling is far greater for pokies than it is for sports betting though. What you "seem" isn't backed up by the statistics at all.

So that makes it ok then?

Like cigar smokers criticizing cigarette smokers because cigars are less harmful.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

There's research that the public health harm and proportion of problem gambling is far greater for pokies than it is for sports betting though. What you "seem" isn't backed up by the statistics at all.

Money from sports betting is not cleaner or more socially conscious than money from pokies.

So that makes it ok then?

Like cigar smokers criticizing cigarette smokers because cigars are less harmful.

Yep. That’s effectively the logic used.

 

[JGreezy]

It’s not nonsense. The AFL make a conscious decision to run gambling adds at stadiums and on TV.

The AFL make a conscious decision. North Melbourne aren't the AFL. They are a club in the league. They don't choose to promote gambling, themselves.

Carlton directly do it themselves. They are the predator. They make a conscious decision. This is worse than the clubs who don't.

Poor analogy. Instead of supplying drugs directly to the community, these days North just pass on another dealers number in exchange for a % of the profits.

This is so dumb. North don't pass on another dealer's number. The AFL advertises gambling, not North.

You say that your opposed to gambling but you try to downplay Carlton's involvement. Anyone who actually opposes it would be embarrassed that their club is one of the few who run gaming operations. But instead you peddle some nonsense argument that its not a big deal because everyone does it, even though they don't.

You seem to have this black and white mindset that as long as there's any gambling money in the AFL then you want your club to destroy as many lives as possible with it.

 

[JGreezy]

So that makes it ok then?

Like cigar smokers criticizing cigarette smokers because cigars are less harmful.

It'd be more like a friend of a cigar smoker, who breaths in second hand smoke, criticising smokers. Then smokers saying "you can't talk, you breath it in as well".

Most clubs aren't choosing to support gambling. They just live in the environment because of the AFL.

4 clubs actively target people and profit directly from gambling operations.

People can twist whatever angles they want to defend their club, but it doesn't change facts.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

The AFL make a conscious decision. North Melbourne aren't the AFL. They are a club in the league. They don't choose to promote gambling, themselves.

Carlton directly do it themselves. They are the predator. They make a conscious decision. This is worse than the clubs who don't.



This is so dumb. North don't pass on another dealer's number. The AFL advertises gambling, not North.

You say that your opposed to gambling but you try to downplay Carlton's involvement. Anyone who actually opposes it would be embarrassed that their club is one of the few who run gaming operations. But instead you peddle some nonsense argument that its not a big deal because everyone does it, even though they don't.

You seem to have this black and white mindset that as long as there's any gambling money in the AFL then you want your club to destroy as many lives as possible with it.

My black and white view is get rid of it all. Including my clubs pokies and your clubs hand in the AFL bank account funded by Sportsbet. Read my posts. Not once have I said this isn’t a big deal. Just that you need to get off your high horse.

No gambling $$ = No North

 

[terrybull]

It'd be more like a friend of a cigar smoker, who breaths in second hand smoke, criticising smokers. Then smokers saying "you can't talk, you breath it in as well".

Most clubs aren't choosing to support gambling. They just live in the environment because of the AFL.

4 clubs actively target people and profit directly from gambling operations.

People can twist whatever angles they want to defend their club, but it doesn't change facts.

Not defending any club, just saying no club is so innocent as many holier than holy posters seem to act here.

 

[craffles]

This one might go over a few heads

Does this mean we are degenerate friends

 

[windyhill]

Essendon should change their nickname back to the Blood-Stained N-words.

Clarko & Kennett like this.

 

[Tyberious Funk]

But it won’t grow and thrive.

Without the big money, investment in grassroots is impacted, impacting the traction being made in SEQ are other growth markets. Kids won’t take up the game. The game won’t be able to invest in growing its fan bases, the game will meander along and over time get swallowed up by other sports and. Competitors.

Just look at how mismanagement and lack of investment in grassroots has impacted Rugby. Kids don’t play it now, RL and AFL are stealing its share, the national team are broken and the game is broke and poorly led.

Simply, take money out of the game and ‘people’ will go elsewhere and the game will eventually collapse.

If you take all the money out of the game, it will collapse.

But if you take all the gambling money out of the game?

Sounds a lot like the arguments back in the 80s when tobacco companies were sponsoring sports and we were all told that cricket would collapse without the money.

 

[yodellinhank]

If you take all the money out of the game, it will collapse.

But if you take all the gambling money out of the game?

Sounds a lot like the arguments back in the 80s when tobacco companies were sponsoring sports and we were all told that cricket would collapse without the money.

Cricket did collapse.

 

[Caligo]

Cricket did collapse.

And then roared back stronger than ever. So long as you are one of the big 3.

 

[RonnieRaven]

People still don't want to acknowledge that whilst we've had more prime ministers than new clubs introduced in the AFL since our last flag, the Essendon supporter base around the country is still one of the "big 4". Continually turning up, even interstate we pull large crowds.

People can argue all they want and use the chip on there shoulder but Essendon is still a big club. A sleeping giant, sure, when we become relevant we will become insufferable, we're just not very vocal about it because we are all aware how little infield success we've had in two decades

Only freo pies blues and tigers have had 40k+ ave home attendance in 2022 and 2023.
Are you still waiting for your hoverboard order???
Even without glory hunters the biggest home and away crowd between bombers and freo is in WA.
You. Need to disconnect off of the vic media hot air pipeline and seek some reality!!

 

[Yoda_]

Only freo pies blues and tigers have had 40k+ ave home attendance in 2022 and 2023.
Are you still waiting for your hoverboard order???
Even without glory hunters the biggest home and away crowd between bombers and freo is in WA.
You. Need to disconnect off of the vic media hot air pipeline and seek some reality!!

you do know I as an Essendon supporter can go to a Melbourne home game against Essendon, yeah?

 

[Vindicater]

Pissweak from the club.

 

[yodellinhank]

Pissweak from the club.

I think they've shown great strength not bowing to your pressure.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Does anybody else not give a poop about clubs profiting off of pokies? Blame the dummies who put their coin in. It's simply a wise investment.

I lean a bit this way.

I've said this before, but pokies themselves are not the issue - it's the venues.

I see no reason why people should not be allowed to bet. I have no issue with people playing pokies. And as such, I have no issue with someone providing that service and profiting from it.

It's the venues that need to be regulated better though. The rules around how that service is provided should be tougher.

Venues should be less discreet. The sneaky back door entrances and dimly lit dens tucked away from the main venue should be banned.

They make it too comfortable for those with problems.

Problem gamblers like anonymity and discretion, because they hiding their problem. Venues facilitate this.

Compulsive gamblers get caught up in a frenzy. Dim lighting, repetitive sound and lack of stimulation outside of the machine itself facilitates this.

Same as how fast food drive-thru's facilitated fat people getting their fix. it's anonymous, discreet, and very easily accessible. Uber Eats has taken this to ye next level.

People should be allowed to eat and do what they want in terms of their recreational activities - but those providing those services should not be allowed to structure them in a way that makes it easy for the vulnerable ones to feed their addiction.