The Age today says the big 5 clubs re pokie holdings have been granted 20 year licence extensions. Eddie has steered Collingwood to get rid of their pokies over a few years and announced a sale in June that would take a few months to complete and another venue will still produce income for the next few years it seems. This story from July says so have 3 other clubs joining North who made a decision back in 2007 to get rid pf its pokies.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/collingwood-cashes-out-of-pokies-20180717-p4zrxy.html
Collingwood have confirmed they are leaving the gaming industry, having agreed to sell their 156 poker machines to the Melbourne Racing Club. As
flagged exclusively by Fairfax Media in February, the Pies will sell the licence for their two venues, Ringwood’s The Coach and Horses and The Club in Caroline Springs, with settlement expected to take place in October. Collingwood had already ceased operation of their Magpie Millions lottery, meaning the club will move away from gaming completely. “This is a prudent commercial decision, one that will strengthen the Collingwood balance sheet significantly,” club president Eddie McGuire said. “The forensic review of the entire Collingwood operation last year, and the ‘Forever’ blueprint which came out of it, gave us greater clarity and a renewed sense of purpose but also identified numerous opportunities.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/collingwood-cashes-out-of-pokies-20180717-p4zrxy.html
That story also said
The Magpies will join North Melbourne as pokie-free Victorian clubs. Melbourne have also announced they will leave gaming, selling their Leighoak venue and opting not to renew their licence at the Bentleigh Club when it expires in 2022.
Geelong are another Victorian club who are set to follow. Essendon, however, are in discussions to extend their gaming presence in Melton, as Fairfax Media
revealed last week.
But today's story said
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...censes-to-operate-pokies-20181029-p50cl8.html
Five Victorian AFL clubs are set to continue taking millions of dollars from pokies after the state government announced the recipients of new 20-year licenses for gaming machines, despite four rival Victorian clubs recently committing to sell their pokies.
Carlton, Hawthorn, Essendon, Richmond and St Kilda have been handed 20 year licenses - beginning in 2022 and running to 2042 - to continue operating pokies at venues around Melbourne following an application process that began in October 2017.
Collingwood, Geelong, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs will sell their pokies and with that surrender millions in guaranteed yearly revenue,
while North Melbourne have long been pokies-free.
AFL clubs keeping pokies were handed licences to operate the same amount of machines they currently own with Carlton (290 machines) the most followed by Essendon (190), Hawthorn (165), Richmond (97) and St Kilda (83). Hawthorn generated
the most revenue from pokies in the last financial year ($24.3 million) followed by Carlton ($18.4 million), Essendon ($11.6 million), Richmond ($5.3 million) and St Kilda ($2.09 million).
It's understood the clubs have told the AFL they'd like to sell their pokies, but don't have viable ways to replace the revenue. The new 20 year licenses can be sold at any time. Richmond are believed to have approached the AFL to discuss how the league could subsidise the pokies exits. The AFL, led by chairman Richard Goyder,
wants to be pokies-free.
Hawthorn said they take responsibilities around gambling “very seriously” and that they signed the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation charter in 2014. Hawthorn “will seek to identify new non-football business ventures” as part of their “2050 vision”.
“The Hawthorn Football Club aims to be financially secure and independent from the AFL, as a result the club is reliant on our non-football investment,” Hawthorn’s statement read. he Hawks said they employ 130 staff at their pokies venues which are "much more than gaming venues".............
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...censes-to-operate-pokies-20181029-p50cl8.html
Port decided to go to China as our alternative to investing in pubs and pokies. As the HPN stats guys said in their September 2016 article that I used in the OP, SA gaming rules make it hard to make big profits from pokies like in the eastern stats, because Xenephon got a restriction thru the SA upper house years ago, that the maximum bet is $2, where as in Qld there are no restrictions.
