11 May 2012

Clubs with pokies, can there be only one?

| johnboy
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Canberra’s poker machine empires masquerading as community operations are slowly coalescing:

The construction union’s Tradies Clubs, the Catholics’ Southern Cross Clubs, the Hellenic Clubs, Rugby’s Vikings and the Labor Party’s Labor Clubs.

We have no doubt once all the little clubs are swallowed up the elephants will dance.

But to facilitate the process Labor’s Joy Burch has announced the littleys are being encouraged to turn their sites into housing developments.

The ACT Labor Government will provide grants of $15,000 for small Canberra clubs in the 2012-13 Budget to help them assess the viability of their sites for residential development, ACT Minister for Gaming and Racing Joy Burch announced today.

Ms Burch said that under the proposal, eligible small clubs will be able to receive a $15,000 grant to undertake an initial feasibility study to assess the viability of using some of their existing club site for housing development.

“In our conversations with the clubs we have heard that many are keen to diversify their revenue base away from gaming machine revenue,” Ms Burch said.

“For small clubs, the cost of exploring the option of developing their site can be prohibitive. This is something the clubs sector has asked the ACT Government for support on, and we have listened.

“Many of the clubs we are targeting with this scheme are in existing residential areas where there is great opportunity for medium density infill, and if clubs proceed with a residential development we will look at how else we can support them to achieve this.”

If the Labor party wasn’t so invested in this sector it would be much easier to take the intentions of the Labor Club at face value.

highlander

UPDATE 11/05/12 15:12: This comment in from Joy Burch’s office:

Hi John, just to clarify, the purpose of the clubs grants announced today isn’t to encourage smalls clubs to shut down and turn themselves into residential developments. Rather, it is to help clubs explore the opportunity of using unused parts of their sites for residential development. There is no requirement for the clubs to alter their operations, or to surrender gaming machine licences. This is something the clubs sector has sought assistance from the ACT Government for, and the Government has responded.

As ClubsACT points out (see CityNews online story)

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ClubsACT said :

As the Minister’s office has pointed out, this scheme is not about replacing clubs with residential or other developments, it’s about clubs using the land around their club building for development. So there won’t be any small clubs gobbled up by bigger clubs as a result of this policy – in fact quite the reverse. This will allow small independent clubs to achieve a more sustainable financial future that doesn’t rely on poker machines. Surely that’s a good thing?

Land around the club hey?

What like bowling greens, golf courses and rugby fields?

Yes, yes, won’t affect the clubs at all.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

ClubsACT said :

As the Minister’s office has pointed out, this scheme is not about replacing clubs with residential or other developments, it’s about clubs using the land around their club building for development. So there won’t be any small clubs gobbled up by bigger clubs as a result of this policy – in fact quite the reverse. This will allow small independent clubs to achieve a more sustainable financial future that doesn’t rely on poker machines. Surely that’s a good thing?

How does it feel to be the spokesperson for a industry that does more harm to familys in canberra than drugs do?

Alcohol manufacturers make money from people drowning their sorrows.
Coffee growers and cafes make money from people’s fatigue.
Car companies make money from people’s desire to drive a status symbol.
People gain at other people’s expense.

I’m no fan of clubs, I think they’re boring holes into which people throw away a lot of time and money. But it’s simple supply and demand theory. If people didn’t choose to go to use the pokies, they wouldn’t ave pokies. So the blame does reside with the people in the end who choose to pursue a destructive course, the consequences of which are both foreseeable and well known.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd1:25 pm 19 Sep 12

ClubsACT said :

As the Minister’s office has pointed out, this scheme is not about replacing clubs with residential or other developments, it’s about clubs using the land around their club building for development. So there won’t be any small clubs gobbled up by bigger clubs as a result of this policy – in fact quite the reverse. This will allow small independent clubs to achieve a more sustainable financial future that doesn’t rely on poker machines. Surely that’s a good thing?

How does it feel to be the spokesperson for a industry that does more harm to familys in canberra than drugs do?

As the Minister’s office has pointed out, this scheme is not about replacing clubs with residential or other developments, it’s about clubs using the land around their club building for development. So there won’t be any small clubs gobbled up by bigger clubs as a result of this policy – in fact quite the reverse. This will allow small independent clubs to achieve a more sustainable financial future that doesn’t rely on poker machines. Surely that’s a good thing?

It’s interesting watching the pokie reforms going on and the changes the clubs make.

For example: The Raiders Club. It was in the paper recently. Diverse portfolio anyone? Yup. Lots of property. Including a Bunnings up Sydney way.

At the end of the day, the pokies are a big money spinner, but to assume they are stupid and not diversifying is mind-boggling.

However, don’t think that small clubs are always as small as you think. Someone mentioned a pile of ‘small clubs’ earlier (And calling them ‘non-multivenue). They included “Eastlake Ainslie”. Well yeah. But also Eastlake Calwell and Eastlake Kaleen.

There are a few more examples out there. I won’t list, but it’s not just Labor, Hellenic, Vikings, Southern Cross and Tradies.

As for the land use. It’s not just adjacent to the club itself. Many clubs actually have land seperate to the club itself. Some have unused ovals. Some actually own buildings and complexes which have been under consideration for demolition, but the cost has been prohibitive.

So.. I don’t fall on either side of the debate much (I use club facilities. I love it when they have live music. I had my bucks night at a club becase… a: Alcohol was cheaper, thus easier for the other guys to get me drunk as is tradition and b: because it was less crowded, and there were places where you could sit and talk without shouting), but there is a lot of myth surrounding clubs and poker machines.

Love the Basement and the Pot Belly. The Basement featured three punk bands from Goulburn a few weeks ago. i cant be sure, but I suspect the same punks were in each band. Or the Goulburn punk scene is bigger than I thought.

No pokies in either – which is why they get my money.

johnboy said :

Shame they’re bicycle haters.

Is that why you were banned?

therein was the root of the great unpleasantness yes.

pink little birdie4:21 pm 11 May 12

I also missed the Font, ANU Bar, UC bar.

If I just want music I’ll go to place with a band that plays covers. Otherwise I’m going to the gig of a band that I have spefically sought out. Many places to have a drink with my friends while listening to music.

The vikings in particular has always filled the role of quiet place to have a drink with friends with a cover band.

What’s a “smalls club”? Something for underwear fetishists?

pink little birdie said :

dvaey said :

pajs said :

This might be a stupid question, but are there clubs that don’t have pokies in Canberra? I’d be happy to give some patronage to a local club that had a bar, a bit of food, maybe music and no poker machines. Is there a club like that?

One thing I sorely missed when moving from NSW, was the lack of a simple ‘pub’.. somewhere to go and drink, socialise, listen to live music, etc.. The ACT has nothing like that, other than a few derelict taverns.

The only clubs I can imagine taking up the offer, might be the Labor clubs, swindling an easy ‘donation’

what? I don’t think you are trying

PJ’s in Tuggers, OJ’s, whatever the Marran is now called, All bar nun (or whatever it’s called) Pj’s civic, O’malley’s, Kingston pub, Civic Pub, kingo (kingston), the basement, Vikings, the Irish, Southern cross club, the george (bungendore), George harcourt.

Other clubs that might take offer include the Burns club and the Irish, Soccer clubs, Eastlake, Ainslie. This was aimed at the non multi facility clubs unlike Vikings, Southern Cross clubs and the Labour clubs.

Although the Wig and Pen doesn’t host live music, I’d happily add it to any list for a great place to socialise, etc.

Shame they’re bicycle haters.

I think living in even a shitty 2 room apt. would be entirely offset by the fact that you live right next door to the club.

You also seem to have listed the Kingston Pub (ie “Kingo”) and/or King O’Malley’s (also, confusingly, “Kingo”) twice.

“somewhere to go and drink, socialise, listen to live music, etc… The ACT has nothing like that, other than a few derelict taverns.”

“PJ’s in Tuggers, OJ’s, whatever the Marran is now called, All bar nun (or whatever it’s called) Pj’s civic, O’malley’s, Kingston pub, Civic Pub, kingo (kingston), the basement, Vikings, the Irish, Southern cross club, the george (bungendore), George harcourt.”

You’ve listed fifteen venues. Of those, two are closed, four don’t have live music, three are large clubs with pokies whose definition of “live music” includes elvis impersonators and/or old bald men playing midi files while they mime with a guitar, two only host covers bands, and one isn’t even in the ACT.

That leaves PJ’s in Tuggeranong, The Basement (where it’s almost unheard of not to have at least one death metal band appear on any given night) and the George Harcourt.

Huuuuge variety there.

BTW, you missed the Pot Belly, Phoenix, Front, Hippo, Transit…

Small clubs are struggling and a feasibility study to demolish them and build supportive housing units selling at $400k each will be tempting. CBRE be will looking forward to the business. More spot planning and loss of community land on concessional leases in the outer suburbs. The inner south has lost Easts Rugby, Hungarian Club and recently the Brumbies site. Members of small clubs and neighbours should be informed if their directors are considering redevelopment. Will the list of grant recipients be published? ACT Treasury is the biggest winner in these land deals.

pink little birdie12:02 pm 11 May 12

dvaey said :

pajs said :

This might be a stupid question, but are there clubs that don’t have pokies in Canberra? I’d be happy to give some patronage to a local club that had a bar, a bit of food, maybe music and no poker machines. Is there a club like that?

One thing I sorely missed when moving from NSW, was the lack of a simple ‘pub’.. somewhere to go and drink, socialise, listen to live music, etc.. The ACT has nothing like that, other than a few derelict taverns.

The only clubs I can imagine taking up the offer, might be the Labor clubs, swindling an easy ‘donation’

what? I don’t think you are trying

PJ’s in Tuggers, OJ’s, whatever the Marran is now called, All bar nun (or whatever it’s called) Pj’s civic, O’malley’s, Kingston pub, Civic Pub, kingo (kingston), the basement, Vikings, the Irish, Southern cross club, the george (bungendore), George harcourt.

Other clubs that might take offer include the Burns club and the Irish, Soccer clubs, Eastlake, Ainslie. This was aimed at the non multi facility clubs unlike Vikings, Southern Cross clubs and the Labour clubs.

johnboy said :

Polish Club in O’Connor flogged theirs off.

Now reliant on live music, pork knuckles, swing dancers, and polish beer/vodka.

Long may they last.

😀 Hear, hear!

and

“In our conversations with the clubs we have heard that many are keen to diversify their revenue base away from gambling machine revenue,” Ms Burch said.

I fixed that for her.

pajs said :

This might be a stupid question, but are there clubs that don’t have pokies in Canberra? I’d be happy to give some patronage to a local club that had a bar, a bit of food, maybe music and no poker machines. Is there a club like that?

One thing I sorely missed when moving from NSW, was the lack of a simple ‘pub’.. somewhere to go and drink, socialise, listen to live music, etc.. The ACT has nothing like that, other than a few derelict taverns.

Also, $15k might sound like a lot of money, but isnt that a fraction of their daily pokie takings? Why would they reconsider their business plan, for a contribution equal to half of one days profits?

The only clubs I can imagine taking up the offer, might be the Labor clubs, swindling an easy ‘donation’

neanderthalsis11:11 am 11 May 12

pajs said :

This might be a stupid question, but are there clubs that don’t have pokies in Canberra? I’d be happy to give some patronage to a local club that had a bar, a bit of food, maybe music and no poker machines. Is there a club like that?

The Commonwealth Club fits the bill. A tad on the exclusive side though. The RUC has only a handful of machines and I never see anyone playing them, same with the national Press Club.

Polish Club in O’Connor flogged theirs off.

Now reliant on live music, pork knuckles, swing dancers, and polish beer/vodka.

Long may they last.

This might be a stupid question, but are there clubs that don’t have pokies in Canberra? I’d be happy to give some patronage to a local club that had a bar, a bit of food, maybe music and no poker machines. Is there a club like that?

Please, please can we have some more barely functional units put up by developers that would never in a million years live in such a space. Please?

Sounds to me like they’re talking about using some space on the sites, not replacing the club buildings themselves. Half of the Braddon Club carpark could go, I reckon.

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