News All pokies to be sold

[Bulldog1954]

Peter Gordon has announced at the best and fairest that the club will be selling all of our pokies. We will also post our biggest profit in the history of the club.

Great to see that the club will no longer be dependent on gaming revenue

 

[Dancing Dougy]

Love this! Absolute scourge on society, very proud of the club.

 

[TimlinOfficial]

Very proud! Meanwhile, Hawthorn - 'the family club' - take in $24m from pokies per year

 

[fred cook]

I hate to be a MD and put a downer on things but when I take my young son to the footy next year I will be overwhelmed by sports betting company's advertising As a game we either say no to gambling across all levels and not be specific

 

[Testekill]

I hate to be a MD and put a downer on things but when I take my young son to the footy next year I will be overwhelmed by sports betting company's advertising As a game we either say no to gambling across all levels and not be specific

Sadly the AFL is making a ton of money from betting agencies and there's very little that we can do.

 

[webbo]

I hate to be a MD and put a downer on things but when I take my young son to the footy next year I will be overwhelmed by sports betting company's advertising As a game we either say no to gambling across all levels and not be specific

Wouldn't you rather the club make a change though? Not much they can do about the AFL's stance, but we can have our own one?
I agree that sports betting is the next gambling event that will damage our society, as it is quite insidious with young people and the gamification of it, however getting rid of pokies is a great first step.

 

[Struggle]

Who was it on here than ran for the board with this as a platform? I'd like to think that played a large part of bringing the issue to a head.

Great decision by the club in the end.

 

[TheBont]

awesome.

having for years struggled with a pokie addiction and knowing others, im really glad they're doing this.

gambling in general is a cancer on society.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Great decision, long time coming

 

[dogwatch]

I hate to be a MD and put a downer on things but when I take my young son to the footy next year I will be overwhelmed by sports betting company's advertising As a game we either say no to gambling across all levels and not be specific

I understand your POV Fred but ... one obstacle at a time. This was one that was totally within our control and we've done it. So we can now move on to the next obstacle.

It will help build pressure on the other clubs and the AFL itself to turn their backs on profiteering from gambling.

Much kudos to Gordon and the board for this initiative.

Incidentally, we couldn't have done it without the overall improvement in our underlying financials. Just another benefit from winning a flag in 2016.

 

[Yojimbo]

All industry has flow on affects many folks are employed by evils of society, sometimes the flow of water
cannot be stopped by simply selling it to someone else, but as long as it is not our problem anymore.

 

[Igloo]

Who was it on here than ran for the board with this as a platform? I'd like to think that played a large part of bringing the issue to a head.

Great decision by the club in the end.

bresker. Must be feeling good about this. Hasn't been around for quite a while though...

 

[BallaratBulldog]

We are the real family club!

 

[Fossie 32]

bresker. Must be feeling good about this. Hasn't been around for quite a while though...

Big news for the club and for bresker. He copped a lot of crap from the club and some people on here. Good on you mate

 

[dogwatch]

Big news for the club and for bresker. He copped a lot of crap from the club and some people on here. Good on you mate

Yep. Getting it over the line usually takes more than one person, but each one of us CAN make a difference.
Well done bresker

 

[Mantis Toboggan]

I think there’s an inherent difference between pokies and other forms of gambling.

Pokies are literally a machine designed to take more money than they spit out. They are a socially destructive scourge in this country, largely affecting the bored and the foolish.

At least sports betting offers you the opportunity to use your knowledge to make considered decisions.

That said, the targeted and incessant advertising of sports betting is truly vulgar. Across all sports on TV you have some loud mouth yob yelling at you to bet every 5 minutes.

 

[Sentinel]

Congrats to bresker. Fought for the cause and saw a result, outstanding.

Question is, what replaces the revenue the pokies were bringing in?

 

[Ash1337]

I guess they saw a downturn this year without Stringer around. This is great news in anycase.

 

[Substance]

When the club told bresker they'd be getting rid of them, I guess they were serious. Really happy about this.

Come on Hawthorn, your turn next.

 

[RedWhite&Blue]

Hopefully they sell each Pokie machine for $1million each and we have another record breaking profit next year as well. Hawthorn’s success as a club is obviously totally underpinned by pokies.

 

[grassman75]

When the club told bresker they'd be getting rid of them, I guess they were serious. Really happy about this.

Come on Hawthorn, your turn next.

They won't do it...how else will they be able to be linked to everyone every year

I love the irony in this whole poker machine thing. Until the flag we were pinning our hopes on a gaming venue that went **** up and now we are at a stage where we don't need them

Well done Doggies

 

[Libba39]

Good work. You need to practice what you preach....

 

[100action]

Meh.. people will blow their money elsewhere.

The problem is only merely displaced.

 

[Mantis Toboggan]

Meh.. people will blow their money elsewhere.

The problem is only merely displaced.

Not the point at all mate.

The club don’t want to be seen as fleecing their own fans. Surely that’s a step in the right direction.

Some people are never happy.

 

[DognBones]

AFL clubs' involvement in pokies is similar to the issue of global carbon emissions targets. One entity acting on its own does not result in the necessary outcome. Unless there is broad agreement and the will for all entities to change then the problem remains. Let's hope that all clubs get involved in a flow on effect. A less than satisfactory outcome is people who use our machines switching to those of other clubs.