Poker machines and the SANFL

[overloaded]

Just wondering what everyones thoughts are on poker machines and the dependence the SANFL competition has on them.

The fact that most clubs are heavily dependent on the amount of money they can extract from gambling addicts takes the focus away from the things that really benefit the competition like bums on seats and members. The fact that all clubs get an equal distribution from the SANFL irrespective of their membership or contribution to "bums on seats" is IMO ridiculous. It does not challenge clubs to attract members and punters to the game. Clubs like North Adelaide who are very well off dont seem to give two hoots that their membership is low and not growing and attract poor crowds. Depsite Centrals outstanding success in the last decade, their membership has hardly grown at all yet they are financially stable.

Now for the Port Adelaide rant...It is a real indictment on the state of the competition that the most successful club who attracts the biggets crowd and has the largest membership is on its knees and struggling to keep uo with clubs who have become wealthy from poker machines. The worst performing club in the competition for the last 40 years (South Adelaide) is financially better off...WTF?

I would postulate that if for some reason (albeit unlikely) poker machines were banned tomorrow, our competition would be gone.

Is it ethical that the foundation of our competition is funded by gambling addicts??

[Wedgie]

North's membership and crowds are low?
I must be going to the wrong games?
And since when do only pokies addicts play the poker machines?


Just because your club is a mismanaged mess there is no need to bring mine into it. Perhaps if Port hadn't given stupid amounts of money away to players like Waterhouse that North refused to match you wouldn't be in such a mess?

[Hondo]

Agree with Wedgie re the comments on North's crowds and member numbers Also, on the assumption that everyone that plays the pokies is an addict.

Anyway, ignoring that, the issue of sporting clubs and pokies is very topical in the NRL right now:

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/stor ... 02,00.html

[Barto]

Not all people who drink at a bar are alcoholics.

[Pseudo]

Not all people who go to a pr0n theatre are w@nkers.

[Psyber]

I'd have no problem with poker machines if they existed only in private clubs and were able to be used only by the club's financial members.
That is, the system was such that it could not be manipulated by calling everyone else "guests".
Of course the pubs wouldn't be happy and neither would the state government, both of which are addicted to the revenue.

[tipper]

Last i checked werent central the highest drawcard for crowds in the league? and certainly north werent the lowest, in fact i reckon there is quite often more red in the crowd than opposition colours (particularly at alberton!!)

And on memberships i didnt think that port rated that high with numbers there either, maybe encouraging some more of the people who claim to be port supporters to actually start supporting the club could help with cash flow a little bit?

[overloaded]

OK, challenge my stats but I think most of you have missed the point I was trying to make. How many of your clubs would survive withour poker machines?? Lets say hypothetically the government comes out and halves poker machine numbers from every venue in the state. How many clubs could cop this...not many.

I accept the statement about gambling addicts may have seem a bit harsh but people I have spoken to who work in and run these venues have told me that more than 80% of their revenue comes from a very small number of players. When just one these players doesn't turn up for whatever reason, their income suffers. The industry is heavily reliant on these players.

Not long ago, I was at a certain venue (not a football club) in the northern suburbs at 7:30am for breakfast. Breakfast was next door to the poker machines and at 8:00am on a Thursday morning there sould have been 20 or so mainly older people in there. Is playing poker machines at 8:00am on a weekday normal behaviour?

[Wedgie]

Why is playing a poker machine at 8am any different to playing one at 8pm?
Probably a smarter thing to do than those that play late at night on the turps.

[Vinney]

OK, challenge my stats but I think most of you have missed the point I was trying to make. How many of your clubs would survive withour poker machines?? Lets say hypothetically the government comes out and halves poker machine numbers from every venue in the state. How many clubs could cop this...not many.

I accept the statement about gambling addicts may have seem a bit harsh but people I have spoken to who work in and run these venues have told me that more than 80% of their revenue comes from a very small number of players. When just one these players doesn't turn up for whatever reason, their income suffers. The industry is heavily reliant on these players.

Not long ago, I was at a certain venue (not a football club) in the northern suburbs at 7:30am for breakfast. Breakfast was next door to the poker machines and at 8:00am on a Thursday morning there sould have been 20 or so mainly older people in there. Is playing poker machines at 8:00am on a weekday normal behaviour?[/quote]

The introduction of the pokies into clubs has been a good thing. Sponsors, membership and chook raffles are now not the only way for clubs to introduce monies into their fold.

However, I do see your point regarding how clubs like South seem to be successful off the field, but continue to struggle on the park. But, I would like to think that South is using this money to develop their coaches and players throught their zone. Because if they didn't have this money, the club would not be around any more.

[nickname]

Why is playing a poker machine at 8am any different to playing one at 8pm?

Because it reeks of desperation I'd have thought. Starting your day gambling is hardly healthy.

[Ron Burgundy]

Why is playing a poker machine at 8am any different to playing one at 8pm?

Because it reeks of desperation I'd have thought. Starting your day gambling is hardly healthy.

Its not gambling if you know your going to win.

[wycbloods]

Why is playing a poker machine at 8am any different to playing one at 8pm?

Because it reeks of desperation I'd have thought. Starting your day gambling is hardly healthy.

Its not gambling if you know your going to win.

Yep you know you are going to win when every dollar you put in the governement takes 13c through tax.

People always know they are going to win on the pokies .

[Hondo]

OK, challenge my stats but I think most of you have missed the point I was trying to make. How many of your clubs would survive withour poker machines?? Lets say hypothetically the government comes out and halves poker machine numbers from every venue in the state. How many clubs could cop this...not many.

This part I agree with. I just don't know what the solution is. Yes, a lot of SANFL clubs would urgently need to find new revenue streams if the pokies were halved.

I'd hope the club CEOs have some contingency planning in case the Govt changes the legislation. It wouldn't just affect SANFL clubs either. They aren't the only community organisation using Pokies as part of the fundraising.

Where I disagree with you is that I am not sure you can morally judge the clubs for raising revenue from them if they are doing so in line with all the current rules and laws. They sell alcohol too yet there's a minority of drinkers that get in trouble from it. Should they stop selling alcohol too?

[Ron Burgundy]

Why is playing a poker machine at 8am any different to playing one at 8pm?

Because it reeks of desperation I'd have thought. Starting your day gambling is hardly healthy.

Its not gambling if you know your going to win.

Yep you know you are going to win when every dollar you put in the governement takes 13c through tax.

People always know they are going to win on the pokies .

I must have used the right lure

[Dutchy]

Clubs would be stupid to solely rely on pokies, sure they are a greta cash cow now but they need to ensure they dont have an unhealthy reliance on them cause it could all change very quickly. Hence most clubs look at function centres and increasing match day revenues etc etc

[Wedgie]

Why is playing a poker machine at 8am any different to playing one at 8pm?

Because it reeks of desperation I'd have thought. Starting your day gambling is hardly healthy.

So ending your day gambling is more healthy? I would have thought the opposite would apply if anything as you'd be less likely to be on the turps at 8am in the morning?
Some peoples working days don't end till 6am, some people are already up for 4 hours at 8 am.
I don't see what the time of day has to so with it.
Hours are irrelevent these days, it's not like everyone works 9 till 5 like they may have many years ago.
Only people Ive witnessed first hand playing the pokies at that time if say have purchased a cheap brekky and put $2 through where 12 hours later in the say I've witnesses first hand people putting crazy amounts through them.

I've quite often shopped at 7am in the morning, hardly means I have a shopping problem.

[nickname]

Why is playing a poker machine at 8am any different to playing one at 8pm?

Because it reeks of desperation I'd have thought. Starting your day gambling is hardly healthy.

So ending your day gambling is more healthy? I would have thought the opposite would apply if anything as you'd be less likely to be on the turps at 8am in the morning?
Some peoples working days don't end till 6am, some people are already up for 4 hours at 8 am.
I don't see what the time of day has to so with it.
Hours are irrelevent these days, it's not like everyone works 9 till 5 like they may have many years ago.
Only people Ive witnessed first hand playing the pokies at that time if say have purchased a cheap brekky and put $2 through where 12 hours later in the say I've witnesses first hand people putting crazy amounts through them.

I've quite often shopped at 7am in the morning, hardly means I have a shopping problem.

Shift work may account for some of them but undoubtedly there would be some for whom playing the pokies is how they are starting their day. That may not be a sign of a gambling problem for all of them but undoubtedly it would be for some of them: the fact that they have to go straight to a pokies venue and gamble.

[Wedgie]

Shift work may account for some of them but undoubtedly there would be some for whom playing the pokies is how they are starting their day. That may not be a sign of a gambling problem for all of them but undoubtedly it would be for some of them: the fact that they have to go straight to a pokies venue and gamble.

That's a fair point and one Ill concede, there would be some of them.
Similarly to my shopping it might be the only time some can get on them too, I know on occassions Ive dropped into my local in the arvo to put $5 through them only to find them all occupied.

[Booney]

Not sure what time of the day people gample has to do with this thread.

But I would agree that the modern football club would truly struggle to maintain there current status without the revenue from pokie machines. Case in point, my Magpies.

The Prince of Wales is not very busy at any point of the day and it has been a poor investment by the Magpies. We are one of the clubs without a pokie venue of our own ( thats successful ) and look at our predicament.