Is it time for the Hawks to ditch gaming?

[Todman]

That's not even close to answering the question I asked.

Your question not worth answering.

 

[NM_Mitchell]

So, no?

 

[McRobie]

You can't wrap people up in cotton wool. You can't stop fools from being fools.

you said it brother!

 

[Probitas_]

You can't stop fools from being fools.

Which is pretty much proven by this exact statement.

Pokies are a stain on clubs that use them. They'll be gone eventually, if my club made profit from them I'd want to be distanced sooner rather than later.

 

[kranky al]

Overly simplistic. Pokies in every club of every suburb wouldn't work if punters were only losing $50 every weekend or so. Problem gamblers are a part of the system, and you have to remember that it's not simply the individual who chooses to gamble who pays the price. It's their families that get put under hardship. Think of it this way: remove the pokies, and you'll save countless families from hardship and breakdown. That doesn't mean banning gambling. It means not having pokies on every ******* suburban street corner.

We seem to have survived over here in the west without those shit loser things everywhere

 

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

I don't really care to be honest. If they keep them, oh well, if they get rid of them, they will find another way to make money. Doesn't really matter either or

 

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

We seem to have survived over here in the west without those shit loser things everywhere

You also have more people to support you. There are 9 clubs in Victoria. Harder to make money

 

[Moo]

You also have more people to support you. There are 9 clubs in Victoria. Harder to make money

It smashes lower income families....the game has enough money making avenues - without this.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

And here's your typical deflection ..when presented with something bad, straight away point at something else and say that's worse . kinda like a 5 year old in an argument.

Nah, it's not deflection, just a realization that people are ****ing stupid, and you can't protect them from themselves.

 

[eggtardo]

AFL Club North Melbourne has joined forces with World Vision as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, in a move that has seen North Melbourne turn its back on receiving income from gambling.

This comes after North Melbourne ended its partnership with a betting agency late last year and surrendered its pokie machine license four years ago.

North Melbourne’s Chief Executive Eugene Arocca said, “A strong CSR program is fundamental to having greater community engagement and this partnership will extend our Corporate Social Responsibility to a national and even international level.”

“Our club motto is ‘Victory demands Care’, and we believe we can help drive everyday community and social issues. We are encouraged to have World Vision Australia supporting us and will be using the experience and wisdom of Tim Costello and his organization to ensure we continue to raise the bar on how sporting clubs interact with society on community issues.”

The move was welcomed by World Vision who will now have their logo added to North Melbourne’s backdrop at press conferences.

Tim Costello, World Vision Australia’s Chief Executive, spoke in support of the move from North Melbourne. “I commend the North Melbourne Football Club for embracing Corporate Social Responsibility in such a committed way and I’m delighted that the club has chosen World Vision to share in its dream for a more caring community. This unique partnership is an exciting opportunity for World Vision Australia.”

“As a passionate football supporter, I understand the important role Aussie Rules plays in Australian culture and in diverse sections of the community. This partnership allows World Vision an opportunity to raise the profile of our work as well as engage with new voices to promote a just and equitable world.

“North Melbourne would be the only Melbourne-based AFL team World Vision can partner with because our screening policies say we don’t take money from gambling, from armaments and tobacco. And they don’t have pokies or sports-betting sponsorships. Tobacco destroys lives, as does gambling and armament.

However, the partnership has not been supported by all. The Herald Sun reports that former North directors, businessman Peter de Rauch and hotelier John Nicholson used the announcement to attack North Melbourne President James Brayshaw labeling him a ‘teddy-bear’ and saying the deal would make it “nearly impossible for North to be financially viable”.

- See more at: http://www.biblesociety.org.au/news/kangaroos-hop-to-stamp-out-gambling#sthash.FDu5xdsy.dpuf

This was all after losing millions on failed ventures into the pokies market.

 

[Probitas_]

Nah, it's not deflection, just a realization that people are ******* stupid, and you can't protect them from themselves.

Do you think people with other mental illnesses are '****ing stupid' or just problem gamblers?

 

[Bayer_]

Nah, it's not deflection, just a realization that people are ******* stupid, and you can't protect them from themselves.

You could use the same argument to legalise cocaine. Just have it in vending machines. Personal responsibility and all.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Do you think people with other mental illnesses are '******* stupid' or just problem gamblers?

Good question.

I think there would most likely be a lot of grey areas to consider.

To put it bluntly, it's probably a chicken/egg scenario.

The context of my comment about stupidity was leveled more at smokers than gamblers though, btw.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

You could use the same argument to legalise cocaine. Just have it in vending machines. Personal responsibility and all.

I like it.

 

[Stopher]

It is bizarre how cigarettes were banned from sponsoring sporting events yet gambling and alcohol are still rife. It's not like people who want any of them don't know where to find them, but whether they need it shoved down their throats several times during a telecast is another thing altogether.

Agree with the OP by the way 100%, for all clubs that is (before Hawthorn supporters get even more upset that they are being picked on)

 

[Prudster]

You could use the same argument to legalise cocaine. Just have it in vending machines. Personal responsibility and all.

You mean like junk food in the middle of an obesity crisis? Or how about alcohol in a culture of binge drinking? There are heaps of things that are far more damaging to society than pokies which are legal. It's people's personal responsibility when they get obese, or get lung cancer from smoking (at least if they started smoking after we know the dangers).

On the topic of cocaine, don't the countries that decriminalise drugs see drug abuse decrease? Maybe you're onto something...

 

[GreatBradScott]

No issues whatsoever with pokies or gambling, it's the advertising. As Stopher just pointed out, the damage is in the selling of the product, which often normalises it to children (and elderly people who don't know better).

I'd love a clamp down on betting advertising and club affiliations with pokies, as a trade off to legalising 'live' betting and other red tape like levies and surcharges on pokies venues which makes the cost of maintaining these machines so high for the people running these pubs.

Like booze and smokes, sell them how you wish, but stop targeting the potentially vulnerable.

 

[Stopher]

No issues whatsoever with pokies or gambling, it's the advertising. As Stopher just pointed out, the damage is in the selling of the product, which often normalises it to children (and elderly people who don't know better).

I'd love a clamp down on betting advertising and club affiliations with pokies, as a trade off to legalising 'live' betting and other red tape like levies and surcharges on pokies venues which makes the cost of maintaining these machines so high for the people running these pubs.

Like booze and smokes, sell them how you wish, but stop targeting the potentially vulnerable.

Yeah, it's bad enough that Matthew Campbell is an ordinary commentator. That he is also the face of live betting in AFL pisses me off no end.

 

[Whats a Battle]

From the Hawks board, earlier this year:
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/its-time-to-ditch-the-pokies.1080804/

 

[EscapeHere]

Coming from WA, whenever I visited the eastern states I always found it weird that almost every pub and club you went into had Poker machines (at least in NSW, not sure how bad it is in VIC). Then once I moved overseas, it took a while to get used to NOT constantly having gambling/betting shoved down my throat all the time. Not having a TAB in every suburb, not having constant sports betting advertising throughout games, etc. Once you live away from Australia for awhile you begin to realize how huge gambling is there, and how much it's become ingrained/normalized in to our culture.

Should Hawthorn stop with it's poker machines? No, because if they, do someone else will just pick off where they left. At least the profits from Hawthorn's efforts are going into something good rather than lining the wallets of a gaming corporation or a rich businessman. Until it's banned, there's no point.

Should pokies be severely scaled back and possibly banned altogether? Absolutely. Australia's gambling culture as a whole needs a good review.

Gambling tax revenue is not free, extra money. It's just taking money from society (predominately the poor, unfortunately), giving it mostly to gaming companies and betting agencies, and it still becomes society's / the taxpayer's problem to deal with.

 

[I Remember Bluey]

Huh????

Have you missed the ENTIRE last three decades?

Echols would have been on top of it Chief, can you bring him back.

No offense to Abasi of course, but those were big shoes to fill.

 

[Furn2]

Without Pokies I couldn't get a schooner within walking distance at 2 in the morning on a Tuesday.

Now if a few nuffies have to lose their house so I can have that right, then that's a small price to pay.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

The family debt club.

 

[The_Reaper]

Your answer is literally saying, 'no, we can't'.

The question is not can the big and powerful Hawthorn survive without pokies, the question is can due to their success allow that to be the main breadwinner to the point where they can forgoe poker machines?

Also you're right it's not different, perhaps the only reason WA isn't the same is the clubs are blocked by legislation. Of course clubs wouldn't give away money, even if it was gained by shoddy means. The question is could they? For the greater good etc etc, and still be sitting pretty. Clearly how you've all rallied to the defence of those blasted money suckers is an answer in itself.

Out of interest - do Freo own any hotels or pubs or anything?
I don't think you do.

And we (West Coast) apparently ended last year with over 40 million dollars just sitting in our back account so I don't think we're particularly active in the investment part

 

[Back One Out]

Given the huge influx of cash from prize money, memberships, donations, and sponsorships: is it time for the club to bite the bullet and jettison gambling as a source of revenue?

The_Wookie - you would know the breakdown.

Would blowing up the pokies break the Hawks?

Is it time for Chief to close down the rumour-mongering cesspit and non-productivity vortex that is Big Footy ?

Would blowing up Big Footy break the Chieftain ?


-just kidding, Chief (love me BF)


Morality is all in the eye of the beholder...