Post by Flash on Sept 18, 2007 14:03:56 GMT -5
Crowe cans pokies at Souths club
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
*
By Kelvin Bissett and Josh Massoud
September 19, 2007 12:00am
SOUTH Sydney Leagues Club is set to dump its 160 poker machines in a
historic move expected to cost millions of dollars in lost gaming
revenue.
Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe has requested the new Souths Leagues
Club at Redfern re-open in 2008 without pokies, breaking the tradition
of rugby league clubs being underwritten by gaming cash.
Crowe's business partner Peter Holmes a Court last night said the
refitted club, part of a $35 million redevelopment, would be made
viable with income generated from quality food and entertainment,
conferences and commercial rents.
"The conventional wisdom is that if you don't have poker machines a
club will go broke, but I believe that there are plenty of people who
don't come because of the pokies," Mr Holmes a Court told The Daily
Telegraph.
"I believe it's about finding a whole new audience."
He said the move would be good "corporate responsibility" as more than
half the club's gaming income in the past would have come from people
who received social security benefits.
Taking the profits from poker machines also was at odds with the
club's other social programs, including the Souths Cares scheme
involving assistance to indigenous communities.
"We don't believe it's an appropriate part of the new business," Mr
Holmes a Court said. The final decision will be made by the Leagues
Club board.
Mr Holmes a Court yesterday held talks with chairman Bill Alexiou-
Hucker and senior director Jim Hatfield.
After emerging from the meeting, Mr Alexiou-Hucker said the "radical"
proposal would not be formally considered until his board was given a
business plan.
"The bottom line is that we are answerable to the members and we have
to make sure their interests and money are taken care of," he said.
"With something this radical, you have to say, 'Show us the money'."
Crowe first approached Mr Holmes a Court with the idea a month ago.
"Russell asked me to see if I could make this happen financially," the
millionaire businessman said.
Based on average annual profits for club poker machines in inner
Sydney, the decision would mean the club would lose as much as $7
million a year in gaming profits.
But Mr Holmes a Court said there were other less socially-devastating
income streams available to the club.
"I accept a wager from time to time and gaming is a reasonable
pastime. I don't believe everyone who enjoys gaming is evil. But,
there is a time and a place for gaming and I don't believe that South
Sydney is the time or the place."
Mr Holmes a Court noted that in Western Australia, where he grew up,
no club had access to poker machine revenue yet they remained in
business.
Clubs, restaurants and other licensed premises in many other parts of
the world were also viable without gambling, he said.
The decision yesterday was given strong support by anti-pokies
campaigner Reverend Tim Costello.
He declared Mr Holmes a Court was a "pioneer" in the area of corporate
responsibility "and it takes courage to be a pioneer". "I think its
magnificent," he said.
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
*
By Kelvin Bissett and Josh Massoud
September 19, 2007 12:00am
SOUTH Sydney Leagues Club is set to dump its 160 poker machines in a
historic move expected to cost millions of dollars in lost gaming
revenue.
Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe has requested the new Souths Leagues
Club at Redfern re-open in 2008 without pokies, breaking the tradition
of rugby league clubs being underwritten by gaming cash.
Crowe's business partner Peter Holmes a Court last night said the
refitted club, part of a $35 million redevelopment, would be made
viable with income generated from quality food and entertainment,
conferences and commercial rents.
"The conventional wisdom is that if you don't have poker machines a
club will go broke, but I believe that there are plenty of people who
don't come because of the pokies," Mr Holmes a Court told The Daily
Telegraph.
"I believe it's about finding a whole new audience."
He said the move would be good "corporate responsibility" as more than
half the club's gaming income in the past would have come from people
who received social security benefits.
Taking the profits from poker machines also was at odds with the
club's other social programs, including the Souths Cares scheme
involving assistance to indigenous communities.
"We don't believe it's an appropriate part of the new business," Mr
Holmes a Court said. The final decision will be made by the Leagues
Club board.
Mr Holmes a Court yesterday held talks with chairman Bill Alexiou-
Hucker and senior director Jim Hatfield.
After emerging from the meeting, Mr Alexiou-Hucker said the "radical"
proposal would not be formally considered until his board was given a
business plan.
"The bottom line is that we are answerable to the members and we have
to make sure their interests and money are taken care of," he said.
"With something this radical, you have to say, 'Show us the money'."
Crowe first approached Mr Holmes a Court with the idea a month ago.
"Russell asked me to see if I could make this happen financially," the
millionaire businessman said.
Based on average annual profits for club poker machines in inner
Sydney, the decision would mean the club would lose as much as $7
million a year in gaming profits.
But Mr Holmes a Court said there were other less socially-devastating
income streams available to the club.
"I accept a wager from time to time and gaming is a reasonable
pastime. I don't believe everyone who enjoys gaming is evil. But,
there is a time and a place for gaming and I don't believe that South
Sydney is the time or the place."
Mr Holmes a Court noted that in Western Australia, where he grew up,
no club had access to poker machine revenue yet they remained in
business.
Clubs, restaurants and other licensed premises in many other parts of
the world were also viable without gambling, he said.
The decision yesterday was given strong support by anti-pokies
campaigner Reverend Tim Costello.
He declared Mr Holmes a Court was a "pioneer" in the area of corporate
responsibility "and it takes courage to be a pioneer". "I think its
magnificent," he said.