Poker Machines: Why The Clubs Fight
April 14, 2011
If Get Up and anyone in the federal government wants to push a littler harder about the clubs’ campaign about poker machines, here are two questions they can research:
- Of the general managers of the big clubs, who authorised the campaign, what is their remuneration? In the big NSW clubs does it in fact approach one million per year?
- And is any part of it expressed in the form of a bonus related to gaming income?
That’s all. Just those questions.
Postscript. I note with more than passing interest that my correspondents from Clubs NSW refuse to answer this question : are managers of the big clubs pulling in remuneration linked to gaming revenue ? A firm denial and I am satisfied. And, of course, did such managers have a role in approving the $20 million ad campaign, being waged with the money of club members.
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Thoughtlines with Bob Carr 
So what is the answer? I mean us plebs don’t have the resources to investigate wages of NSW club managers, couldn’t you just tell us what you are implying you know?
No, I haven’t the time to check but a source in the club industry pointed me in this direction and it’s the responsibility of others to make the phone calls and get the answers.
Shame on you Bob. Havent you done enough to clubs during your reign in NSW? Taxing clubs and giving the money to NSW Health was your promise…gee that worked out well didnt it!
ps stop stealing images from other media and using them on your blog.
I know the manager of my local bowling club he makes $65k a year. About one-twentieth of what you make Bob.
Dear “Austin” and “Scott.” When comments purporting to be from two different people arrive within one minute of each other, share an IP address and are both sourced from clubsnsw.com.au, I think I’m entitled some faint suspicion.
I got worried when I saw the machines move from coin with single spin via the mechanical arm then to buttons for 5 line play then more buttons TV screens and reverse ATM like note acceptors.
I would be happy if we went back to mechanical arms & reels and coin only feeders.
If I want the rest (Video Part) I will play a Space Invader or a Play Station
Lets make the Pokies fun again ~ $1 per spin maximum bet and coin only
I thought General Managers of clubs would have to go to their individual Clubs board of Directors to authorise any additional funding other than normal annual subs to Club’s Australia.
It would be hard to justify it as normal advertising
Nice work Bob on catching Clubs NSW doing a bit of the o’l astroturfing.
I would have thought they would be a bit more subtle about it, go figure!
How much is Woolworth contributing to the $20mil ad campaign. That’s want I want to know.
I have seen the effects that poker machine gambling has on families. It is corrosive and ends up destroying the family. Having some safeguards in place will ensure that when vulnerable people go to clubs etc to play the machines they wont be gambling the family’s meal money. If clubs, pubs are saying they can’t survive with individuals knowing what they are prepared to risk to gamble, then so be it. People come first not the machines or the clubs. When people play the stock market or futures markets the broker must know that the buyer has the capital in the bank to trade otherwise the trade wont be placed. This safeguard has not killed a broking firm that I’m aware of. They are more likely to have thrived from it, and the pubs and clubs should too.
Is that Woolworths “the fresh food pokies people”?
Why can’t there be a simpler solution to the Wilkie proposition? eg limit single bets to no more than $1 and spins to at least say 10 seconds?
As a musician, i can tell you that poker machines kill live music! I think they have caused way too much damage in our society, both on economic, and cultural levels.
Nice catch on the IP addresses Bob!
And yeah, I’m agreeing with Chris here. We don’t do pokies in perth, but pretty much every musician here is terrified of what would happen if our tories ever introduce the frigging things. We’ve heard far too many horror stories from our NSW + Vic counterparts of the mess those things have made of the music scene. Its just so much easier to put in some pokies and have them hoover up pension checks from the blue rinse set, than it is to actually take a risk on supporting local talent.
Its an exploititive industry and should be looked on with contempt. If the Alcohol industry can still survive with safe-drinking rules, then the gambling industry needs to man up and accept a few limitations too. Nobody deserves to have their addictions exploited for cheap profit.
The complaints of a few clubs about their profits if the trade is regulated ring as honorable to me as that of a drug dealer complaining about police moving into the area.