Faith Macale
Essendon Football Club is being urged to divest from poker machines at its venues in Melton and Essendon.
Lobby group, No Pokies at Essendon has gathered signatures from its members calling for a vote on the issue at the club’s annual general meeting on Wednesday December 18.
No Pikes at Essendon president Mike Read said the resolution aims to make the club acknowledge the harms of electronic gaming machines, and acknowledge the club’s potential contribution to the harm.
“Our position is that Essendon should get rid of their pokies entirely,” Mr Read said.
“What we’re looking to do is just to get the Essendon Football Club’s constitution amended.”
According to No Pokies at Essendon president Mike Read, the pokies owned by Essendon Football Club at the Melton Country Club recorded $22 million in player losses between 2021-2023, compared to its Windy Hill venue which recorded $17 million in player losses, despite the Melton venue having less machines.
“Our focus is specifically around the idea that football clubs in general have no real business in operating these kinds of venues,” he said.
Mr Read said electronic gaming machines prey on those who are vulnerable, and that poker machines take advantage of people.
“They are a particularly predatory form of gambling,” he said.
“They are designed with the psychology of addiction in mind to keep people playing for longer, to kind of put them in a trance-like state, so that they can’t make rational decisions.
“At the same time, the machines are programmed so that over the period of time, they’re always going to take more money than they give back.”
Essendon was contacted for comment.
