Pokies winners

By Casey Neill
FERNTREE Gully Bowling club has welcomed changes to new State Government gaming laws, but slammed the licensing process as a “money grab”.
The government had proposed an auction for clubs and pubs to take control of their pokies from 2012 to break a gaming operator duopoly – Tatts and Tabcorp – that now controls Victorian machines.
Ferntree Gully MP Nick Wakeling said larger commercial operators would have outbid smaller community groups.
“Clubs like Ferntree Gully Bowls Club were rightly worried they would miss out,” he said.
Last Thursday the government bowed to pressure from the clubs and the Legislative Council gave an amended venue-operator model the thumbs up.
Clubs and pubs will now have the right to buy their existing pokies, and will be forced to an auction process only for extra machines. The venue’s average annual revenue per machine will determine their price.
Ferntree Gully Bowling Club chief executive David Barclay said he was pleased with the amendments.
“It does give the club a lot more certainty for the future,” he said. “However, it will still cost us $1 million just to get a licence.”
Asked if the club could afford the outlay to keep its 28 machines, he said: “We’re going to have to.”
But Mr Barclay said the gaming machine licence should be valid for the club’s lifetime given the high price tag.
“My biggest concern is I can’t get anyone to clarify for me how long licences are issued for,” he said.
He said the 10-year licence period indicated would be “untenable”.
Mr Barclay said the club could now start work on projects it had delayed while its gaming machines were in limbo.
“This is basically what we’ve been waiting on,” he said. “It at least gives us a future.”
The club collected more than 400 signatures on a petition asking for the changes.
Eastern Metropolitan Region MP Bruce Atkinson tabled the petition and several others in Parliament. He received more than 16,000 signatures from across Victoria.
Mr Barclay praised the State Government for responding to the chorus of disapproval.
“At least the government did see there was a public outcry and changed it,” he said. Mr Wakeling said pokies were vital for local clubs’ survival.
“Any revenue raised is for the upkeep of the club and grounds and put back into the community through club and organisation sponsorship,” he said.
“In some cases, the loss of revenue could have meant the end.”
Monbulk MP James Merlino said the system would be fairer, deliver greater control to venues and give them the opportunity to raise more revenue.
The State Government will release more bidding process details this week.