Pokie giant ALH accused of 'club' rip-off Laurie Nowell
Sunday Herald Sun
March 27, 2010 9:48PM AUSTRALIA'S biggest pokies operator faces an investigation over claims it has avoided more than $15 million in tax through controversial and secretive arrangements with sports organisations, including several AFL clubs.
A Sunday Herald Sun investigation has found ALH, which is a joint venture between Woolworths and pokies kingpin Bruce Mathieson, has struck deals to operate more than 660 pokies in up to 10 venues registered as clubs.
The deals include arrangements with the Collingwood, Richmond, Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn football clubs.The deals allow ALH raise its share of pokies beyond the cap of about 35 per cent of machines each operator is allowed.
Under Victorian gaming law, commercial operators of pokies pubs pay a 33.3 per cent tax on gambling revenue. Clubs get an 8.3 per cent discount on the pokies tax and pay only 25 per cent to the State Government if they can demonstrate a "community benefit". Under the deals, ALH owns most of the venues and leases the pokies area to clubs. It then charges the clubs rent and a management fee to operate the machines.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/pokie-giant-alh-accused-of-club-rip-off/story-e6frf7jo-1225846385377http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/call-to-axe-tax-breaks-on-pokies-for-sports-clubs/story-e6frf7jo-1225846387621Footy clubs' pokie expansion slammed LAURIE NOWELL and JAMES CAMPBELL
Sunday Herald Sun
March 28, 2010 AFL clubs are digging themselves deeper into the gaming industry with new pokies developments.
Gambling venues controlled by AFL clubs took $85.4 million from 1273 poker machines last year, according to Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation figures.
Collingwood's poker machine takings were $17 million.
Pokies players at clubs owned by Essendon, Hawthorn and Richmond also lost more than $10 million.Victorian AFL clubs now control about 6 per cent of the state's 26,772 poker machines in hotels and clubs.
Gambling expert Prof Charles Livingstone, of Monash University, criticised the AFL's growing relationship with gambling.
"The real issue is that the footy clubs are not operating these venues in their heartlands - they're in the outer suburbs where people are starved of things to do and facilities, and there are often large numbers of vulnerable people who can ill-afford to gamble," he said.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/footy-clubs-pokie-expansion-slammed/story-e6frf7jo-1225846399667
