can you imagine this discussion if we had Sportsbet as a major sponsor instead
Stating facts is hardly being upset. People trying to impose their own morality on to others get my back up.
If this is what you call âimposing moralityâ, then weâre all doing it 24/7.
Thatâs not very logical. I was just saying that if the reason for getting rid of them is to save idiots from themselves then itâs pointless because if they want to throw their money away they will find other ways
So we should keep them because we might as well take their money as anyone else.
That makes no sense.
The whole argument is one of morals.
Just because some individuals find it morally wrong for clubs to profit from poker machines shouldnât mean others have to abide by it.
At the end of the day if enough individuals vote to get rid of them then so be it.
Please donât impose your morality on me, itâs not allowed in here
I know you donât care but anyway, the 2017 social cost of gambling study found:
The second phase of the study estimated the costs of gambling to Victoria for all severity levels. It was found that when low-risk and moderate-risk categories were included, the cost of gambling in Victoria in 2014-15 totalled $7 billion, as compared to a previous figure of $2.4 billion when including only the more severe, but less prevalent, problem gambling group.
It also found 64% of the stateâs gambling revenue came from pokies. Even if you take 64% of the lower $2.4b figure and donât adjust it for inflation, the cost of pokies to Victoria is still higher than the $1.359 billion in gambling taxes they got from them last FY.
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If thatâs the argument then ban all gambling but IMO a football club owning poker machines is completely irrelevant to solving the problem of gambling addiction.
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What? All weâre doing here is talking on an online forum. Some people care about how the club makes money and others donât. Thatâs it. We are both doing the same thing, just on different sides.
You donât have to, so youâre all good.
So you have nothing to worry about.
No Iâm saying morals shouldnât even be a consideration.
Morals by definition are personal and should stay that way
And on a business argument, last FY player loses at Essendonâs two venues were about 98% of the venue revenue as reported in Essendonâs annual report. Thereâs currently legislation to introduce mandatory carded play and default loss limits, which industry have claimed could reduce gaming revenue by 14-27%.
Itâs simply bad business to be so reliant on pokies at a time where regulation is only going to lead to lower gaming revenue. Thatâs not necessarily the fault of the current board but theyâre the ones left to have to deal with it.
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Just to be clear Iâm all for pokie regulation and anything that assists problem gamblers kicking their addiction but that shouldnât dictate who should or shouldnât own venues/ licenses (legally of course).
Football clubâs divesting from Pokie venues does nothing to assist problem gambling. It only serves to appease individuals of their own moral dilemma.
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I hope we invest more into pokies. Huge money maker.
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Morals are ultimately factored into everything we do and are a part of. What we donât even think twice about today would be considered insane by people long passed and who wonât exist for centuries. Thankfully, we can all live and let live most of the time, but somehow those norms eventually shift and itâs not from everyoneâs morals being kept personal.
Iâll give everyone a break and stop spamming this thread.
corporate social responsibility is a thing for a reason
So what? Itâs the governmentâs social responsibility to regulate poker machines.
Unless weâre doing anything unethical like targeting or maximising loses by addicts then move on.
Thank you.
I think weâre missing an opportunity here - we should shower the entire suburb of Collingwood and Richmond with free drink cards for our venues. Weâd be able to afford to buy a training venue that isnât next to an airport and industrial estateâŚin no time 
It was, but the horse has bolted.
While I hate to agree with @dmaplestone on anything, external revenue is very important for EFC.
In 2018, Melton City Council approved a 29-year lease extension, allowing Essendon to continue operating Melton Country Club and its 89 poker machines until the end of 2047, which I fully supported as I thought at the time that they could now maximise the invest return by selling for a massive profit. I guess that COVID hit and things slowed, but if they had sold before there were a number of eager buyers. The new State Government rules make pokies less attractive and while the value to much higher than what EFC have on the books, I feel they missed the opportunity.
I donât believe it will recover and perhaps they should sell now, and invest in lucrative stuff like student housing!
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