Disgraceful EFC - Extending pokies license to 2042

Surely there are other ways to make a buck?

For example, I hear there’s plenty of money in selling supplements these days. Perhaps the club could investigate this further?

Sorry little off topic but i don’t know where else to post this. Walla raising money to help fight violence against children. Seems like a better place to stick money than the pokies.

I think they already have a lab under the hanger?

I get what you’re saying but I don’t think people really understand the true odds. I know I personally have no idea what the actual odds of say a $500 jackpot are of going off. People know Powerball is massive odds but so is the return & again there is a guaranteed win even if thats not for a few weeks when it jackpots. I remember a mate of mine complaining about a machine that had a 27K jackpot that had not gone off for more than a year. He reckons he’d put at least a grand through the machine because it simply had to go off soon. One day the machine was gone replaced by a new game & I assume was sent out to pasture. Rough maths, that means about 22 millions dollars was gambled through that machine between jackpots & never any return given - that is not allowed to happen with things like Powerball or even say quadies.

Imagine if they had to put a little label saying how long it had been in operation and how many times it had paid out…oh, say $5,000.

Five AFL clubs awarded new 20-year licenses to operate pokies

Essendon Football Club is thrilled to announce Gambling Inc has rejoined the Bombers as a renewed licensee of the Club.

The twenty-year partnership will see Pharaoh’s Treasure and Lucky Sevens machines Don the Sash until at least the end of 2042.

Essendon Chief Executive Officer Xavier Campbell said the new partnership was a fantastic outcome for the Club.

“We are extremely excited to announce Gambling Inc as our primary revenue stream for another 20 years,” Campbell said.

“Our organisations share a vision for growth, we have like-minded values and a genuine commitment to work together, on and off the field, to be successful.”

“Gambling Inc is a fantastic fit for Essendon. They are a truly national brand on a significant growth trajectory and it is a privilege to welcome Dan Andrews and the Gambling Inc team to the Essendon family.

“This partnership is also a significant commitment and show of faith in the direction of our football club.

“Finally, I want to thank Guilty Conscience, our co-major partner for the last couple of years, on behalf of the club for its commitment over the last couple of years.”

The partnership was launched on Tuesday afternoon at the ‘Melton House Party’ on the iconic hallowed turf where that old lady wet herself on the bar stool while having a cheeky flutter.

Gambling Inc Premier Dan Andrews said Essendon’s vision and values strongly align with Gambling Inc.

“Over the past four years Gambling Inc has transformed. We’ve doubled our workforce and number of stores, we’ve refined our supply chain, shifted our focus to customer service and re-branded,” Chadwick said.

“We’ve come a long way and are now ready to take centre stage.

“A final piece of our evolution is our partnership with Essendon Football Club which we are proudly entering into today and will continue over the next 24 years.

“While it is one of the most successful clubs in history with 16 premiership wins, Essendon Football Club has one of the strongest brands in the AFL competition with more than one million supporters nationally and a growing membership base of 80,000.

“This sheer size of the Essendon brand, the club’s values and commitment to community provides a prime opportunity to position Gambling Inc on a highly visible national scale.”

Gambling Inc made over $11 million for the EFC in 2017, dwarfing the club’s pitiful Amart deal, rumoured to be worth $2m per year.

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Outstanding work sir

Most things in life are a double edged sword. Its a matter of choice whether you go left or right is up to you, isn’t it? All things in moderation are o.k.

Even marriage

Exceptional satire, Up. :clap:

Well. What a disaster!

The Sportsbet and Ladbrokes betting apps both crashed today so they couldn’t take bets.

I feel so desperately sorry for them.

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It’s the way short-form communication on forums work.
Do yourself a favour - pull back.

I did. A week ago.

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Hahaha - yes I see - I came late to the party…and will now depart at rapid pace.

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Really admire Collingwood on this… man it makes me feel ill to say that!

Essendon lock in three-decade pokies lease

Paul Sakkal

By Paul Sakkal

Updated11 December 2018 — 7:10pmfirst published at 3:44pm

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Melton City Council voted unanimously on Monday night to approve a 29-year lease extension allowing the Essendon Football Club to continue operating Melton Country Club and its 89 poker machines until the end of 2047.

The lease for the venue, at which gamblers lost $5.69 million in 2017-18, was due to expire in 2022.

Councillor Steve Abboushi, who in the lead-up to the vote labelled it a “difficult situation”, was unable to attend Monday’s council meeting due to family commitments.

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The decision was slammed by gambling reform advocate Tim Costello, who was critical of the Melton RSL’s support for the lease extension.

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The Melton RSL’s submission to council, seen by The Age , stated a failure to renew the lease would put in jeopardy its ability to conduct activities in the premises, having a “most detrimental” effect on the branch.

“Essendon knows you do not enrich a football club on the back of personal misery and broken lives, which is why other AFL clubs have decided to get out of pokies,” said Costello

“The RSL (Melton sub-branch) also acted badly in advocating for more personal and community misery just because they get one room for RSL meetings.”

Essendon collected over $11 million from its two pokies venues in 2016-17. CREDIT:DARRIAN TRAYNOR

Anna Bardsley, a former pokies addict, lamented the restrictions on involvement from the public gallery at the council meeting, where questions from the public were read out by the council CEO with no ability for members of the public to speak.

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“I felt voiceless,” said Bardsley.

“It’s a very poor system of community engagement in area like Melton with so much disadvantage.”

Essendon, who also own 101 poker machines at Windy Hill, refused to comment when contacted by The Age .

Last month, Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell told The Age : "We have spoken to this publicly on a number of occasions – we endeavour to become less reliant on gaming as a revenue stream and we have invested heavily in building our strategy and investment divisions to work toward exploring opportunities in this space.

"That said, our venues employ more than 120 full and part time staff in the communities where they operate, and we directly contribute investment into these communities to fund a range of sport and community activities.

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“We continue to remain committed to the Victorian responsible gambling foundation charter, and challenge the parameters with which our venues operate to ensure we provide an appropriate level of governance and oversight.”

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The Bombers recently posted a $2.3 million net operating profit, however the club still remains in significant debt, largely due to costs associated with the supplements saga. The debt, which totalled more than $11 million in 2016, has been reduced to around $4 million.

The Melton vote comes as Collingwood announced its formal exit from gaming, something president Eddie McGuire called a “prudent commercial decision but also a strategic initiative”.

The club sold the Coach and Horses in Ringwood and The Club in Caroline Springs venues, totalling 156 gaming machines, to the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC).

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“Collingwood has been in a strong financial position but, as of Friday, it is in an even stronger position with the sale of the venues and gaming machines,” said McGuire.

“The significant funds flowing from the sale will be put to a Future Fund that… allows us to intensify our focus on our core responsibilities – Collingwood fans, elite sporting performance and community – and pursue new and different opportunities for growth.”

Melbourne, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs have all planned exits from the gaming industry, while North Melbourne has been pokies-free for a decade.

Yay, financial security for three decades.

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We really should have had some pokie machines at the Family Day last week, so that we could have ‘given back to the community’ directly.

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And highlight that some play and some don’t, thus highlighting individual responsibility.

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And so, the answer to Wim’s question is now clear: Despite publicly stating two years ago that EFC were looking for ways to reduce involvement in gambling, absolutely nothing has changed and there is no plan for any such change.

Yep. I’m shocked