Pokies are way too widespread in Australia, and so are various sponsorships and ads on this topic. But lately, a local mayor in Victoria has encouraged all Australian councils to follow her lead and prohibit all gambling ads at local sports games rather than waiting for federal or state action.
And the City of Monash, with its anti-gambling policy, is believed to be the first to react to this notice even though it faces coordinated opposition from local sports clubs that feel unfairly targeted.
Based on this policy, any sports club that will keep showing the logos of sponsors that feature gambling machines or online pokies will eventually be banned from clubhouses and council grounds.
Tina Samardzija, the mayor of the City of Monash, said that local governments should "absolutely" carry a bigger role in preventing gambling-related harm and dispersed claims that councils should not be involved in social policy.
So, What Is The Unti-Gambling Policy
Monash Council has threatened to remove local sports clubs from their clubhouses and ovals unless they stop their activity of promoting sponsorships with gambling venues covering RSLs.
According to the Council, sports clubs will also be prohibited from council-owned grounds if they arrange meetings at any venue with poker machines who run the tournaments.
Overall, this gambling policy will affect about 1/4 of the 98 sports clubs in the council area, which takes in suburbs such as Chadstone, Ashwood, Clayton, Burwood, Mulgrave, Glen Waverley, and Oakleigh.
All sporting clubs, community organizations, and clubs have received a written note from Monash Council that clearly explains the new Public Health Approach to Gaming Harm Policy.
In particular, the note stated that the Council would not ban pokies venues such as RSL Clubs, local hotels, and pubs from funding local sporting groups. However, the sports clubs will be forbidden from advertising or promoting those sponsors in their newsletters, clubrooms, and on scoreboards and fields.
In addition, the City of Monash has given sports clubs a deadline of up to four years to change their apparel and uniforms. The only exception is for RSLs on Anzac Day.
Should We Have a Look at Some Statistics?
Each year, venues with poker machines located in the Monash area give at least 8.33% of their net electronic gambling machine revenue to community organizations and sports clubs. These cover Vegas at Waverley Gardens, Mulgrave Country Club, and Leighoak Club.To be more precise, pokies venues in the area donated over $2.2 million to community groups and sporting clubs only in 2020/2021 and $5 million for capital advancements and operating costs. Community Clubs Victoria, the main body for local clubs, refused to comment on this. However, according to a reliable source, it sought legal advice on probable restraint-of-trade problems and consulted all affected clubs.
Also, one club official, who wanted to stay anonymous as it might affect relationships with the council, said in his interview with The Age that this new gambling policy will surely have a big impact. According to him, community support to worthwhile community-based organizations that are really in need of help amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The move of the Council comes after data revealed that gamblers in the Monash area lost nearly $84.9 million on poker machines last financial year, despite the fact that due to COVID-19 lockdowns, venues were shut for 89 days. Before this, nearly $110 million was lost every year.
In a nutshell, for electronic gambling machine losses, Monash has ranked in the top ten local government areas in Victoria.
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