Small pokie clubs ‘under threat’- Pakenham Sports Club committee of management secretary Bev H

– Melissa Grant
AN IMMINENT shake-up of Victoria’s gaming industry may see the closure of the Pakenham Sports Club and a $100,000-plus cut in annual donations to Cardinia Shire’s sporting groups.
Pakenham Sports Club management holds grave fears for the gaming venue’s future as legislation begins to go through Parliament.
Steve Moloney, Pakenham Sports Club committee of management president, said a proposed poker machine bidding system would see the end of small pokies venues – and a funding cut to grassroots sport clubs.
“All the indications are that the small clubs won’t be able to compete with the big clubs,” he said.
“We won’t exist.”
The Pakenham Sports Club hands over more than $100,000 to various sporting groups – from the Pakenham Football Club to Little Aths.
Mr Moloney said profits from the sports club also helped to keep Pakenham’s Toomuc Reserve in tip-top shape.
“So many people benefit,” he said.
“It’s not just the Pakenham Football Club that benefits from the Pakenham Sports Club – it’s also all the clubs at Toomuc Reserve.”
Under the proposed legislation, individual pubs and clubs will have to bid for the right to own and operate poker machines from 2012.
Mr Moloney said while bigger venues had hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve, small clubs such as the Pakenham Sports Club didn’t.
“We don’t have a war chest put aside,” he said. “The little ones (clubs) will get squeezed out and the big ones will prosper.”
Poker machine revenue is now split evenly between the State Government, the gaming operator and the venue.
Clubs will get a larger slice of the profits if the new legislation is passed, but they will also have to buy poker machines and pay for their upkeep.
Recently the legislation was put to the Upper House, but the vote was tied at 18-18 with two members paired.
Eastern Victoria Liberal MP Edward O’Donohue said he anticipated the legislation would come before the house again during the next sitting week.
He said the Opposition would continue to oppose the bill unless it offered protection for small clubs.
“As it stands the Coalition will vote against it,” he said.
“The concern is about the bill’s lack of protection for community clubs.
“I’m not a big fan of pokies but if they’re going to have them let it benefit community sports.”