Carlton to strip Richmond of Royal Oak Hotel & pokie revenue

[one-eyed]

Carlton Blues' savage pokies grab

  * Michael Warner
  * Herald Sun
  * April 16, 2010

POKIES king Bruce Mathieson is plotting a Carlton coup that will strip Richmond and the Western Bulldogs of a fortune in gaming.

Mathieson, a former Blues director, stunned the Tigers and Bulldogs when he revealed he would transfer two hotel leases controlled by the AFL clubs to Carlton.

Richmond will lose the bluechip Royal Oak Hotel in the heart of Tigerland, while the Victoria Inn at Williamstown will be lost to the Bulldogs.

Both pokies venues are owned by the powerful Mathieson/Woolworths venture.

Richmond could be forced to hand over the keys to the Royal Oak within months.

The 80-machine venue - known as the Tiger Bar because of its meeting place status among Richmond faithful - contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to club coffers.

Carlton and Mathieson are believed to be planning to redirect at least one other venue's profits to the Blues in a move that could set up the club's financial security for years to come.

Blues chiefs declined to comment yesterday, saying nothing had been finalised.

Both Richmond and the Bulldogs confirmed they had been informed their leases would not be renewed.

"We are not impressed with it, but we move on," Dogs chief executive Campbell Rose said yesterday.

The Bulldogs recently won permission for a new gaming venue in Edgewater, about 2km from the Dogs' recently renovated Whitten Oval headquarters. The Mathieson/Woolworths venture also manages the Dogs' pokies at the Bacchus Marsh Golf Club.

But the Tigers, who operate a less profitable pokies venture at Wantirna, must quickly come up with ways to replace the crucial Royal Oak cash stream.

The Mathieson moves come as the league's 10 Victorian-based clubs prepare to splurge up to $50 million on a complex auction of pokies licences in a bid to maintain ownership of their existing poker machines.

AFL clubs control 1253 pokies at 20 pubs and clubs - about 6 per cent of Victoria's 27,500 machines, the entitlements to which will all by up for grabs in the auction that ends on May 10.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/carlton-blues-savage-pokies-grab/story-e6frf9jf-1225854279428

[FNM]

Charming Mr Bojangles 

[WilliamPowell]

No great surprises from Mathieson 

But to know Woolworths (who owns Dick Smith) is involved whether it be directly or indirectly turns the stomach a bit

Best way to stuff up Matheison's plans is for us good Tiger folk who go to the Royal Oak not to patronise it once the RFC's lease runs out 

[TigerTimeII]

the afl should somehow get involved and smorgan and march should get together to somehow prevent this from happening

[Smokey]

the afl should somehow get involved and smorgan and march should get together to somehow prevent this from happening

Good luck with that.  Purely a business decision outside the scope or control of the AFL or the clubs concerned.  The losers will be the ones who sit on their hands and whinge about, doing nothing to help themselves.  If our administration are switched on then they should/would already have known this was coming the minute they were informed the lease would not be renewed and have taken the first steps to replace the income stream from elsewhere.

[RollsRoyce]

Well that's the last time I'm having a counter meal there....

[Ramps]

Purely a business decision. Our club should redirect some interest into the Glen Waverley and Cragieburn areas. Plenty of opportunities for clubs who know what theyre doing.

[bojangles17]

pity it wasnt the wantirna one that I understand loses money, sheesh, no rest for the wicked huh. Tis a big place Melbourne, plenty of business opportunites abound

[Owl]

Well, end of an era, pure spite on the part of that hole but The Oak will be off limits once that lease goes to Carlscum.  He thinks we are so stupid that we are going to fund Carlton by going to the Oak.  Whats more I won't spend a peanut at Woolworths again.  Plenty of options, if he wants to make it a Carlton only supermarket chain lol all yours clown.  It is nasty towards the doggies too, they are not exactly the biggest club in town. 

[Smokey]

Well, end of an era, pure spite on the part of that behindhole but The Oak will be off limits once that lease goes to Carlscum.  He thinks we are so stupid that we are going to fund Carlton by going to the Oak.  Whats more I won't spend a peanut at Woolworths again.  Plenty of options, if he wants to make it a Carlton only supermarket chain lol all yours clown.  It is nasty towards the doggies too, they are not exactly the biggest club in town. 

Few considerations of club loyalty etc in business Owl.  Having said that, I'm with you in voting with my feet - I practice it often - and like you, the Oak will now be on my 'banned' list.  And as for Woolworths?  Well, I'm an Aldi tragic so they are a nothing to me anyway! 

[Owl]

Aldi is great, we have a Leo's gourmet joint opening up the road soon, used to use one in Hawthorn, fantastic.   
Sad about the Oak though.   

[cub]

I banned the Coach and Horses in Ringwood as soon as the Skunks took over and only ever been in there once on the way home cause I was busting for a pee, ever since. And no I didn't have a beer, just a slash and gone.
No brainer and make sure we all let as many tigers know as possible so they too can vote with their feet.

If the Tigers have any brains they could get a setup going in the new social club where we can all go to watch interstate games have a beer, Tab and the slots wouldn't be a bad move either for those that way inclined. May even get a visit from Schwarz and Fev 

[Carvels Ring]

I banned the Coach and Horses in Ringwood as soon as the Skunks took over and only ever been in there once on the way home cause I was busting for a pee, ever since. And no I didn't have a beer, just a slash and gone.
No brainer and make sure we all let as many tigers know as possible so they too can vote with their feet.

If the Tigers have any brains they could get a setup going in the new social club where we can all go to watch interstate games have a beer, Tab and the slots wouldn't be a bad move either for those that way inclined. May even get a visit from Schwarz and Fev 

i hope yr tried and trusty stream went all over the carpet mate!

[Infamy]

Well, end of an era, pure spite on the part of that behindhole but The Oak will be off limits once that lease goes to Carlscum.  He thinks we are so stupid that we are going to fund Carlton by going to the Oak.  Whats more I won't spend a peanut at Woolworths again.  Plenty of options, if he wants to make it a Carlton only supermarket chain lol all yours clown.  It is nasty towards the doggies too, they are not exactly the biggest club in town.

I certainly hope the word spreads around the Tiger faithful to never go there again after this. In fact hopefully plenty of Carlton FC signage will go up to make it easy to turn them away.

As for Woolworths, their meat section sucks. I went there once the other week and the fillet steaks were tough which I didn't think was possible and their lamb flavourless. I hate promoting a big chain and would always choose to go to a butcher at the markets normally, but my local Coles in StKilda has the best meats. Chose to never go back to Woolworths after that experience, the decision is even easier now.

[bojangles17]

Footnote: woolworths own Dick Smith