Ten National Rugby League Teams have announced that they will cut millions of dollars worth of funding if the government enacts pokie reform. This is just the last harsh step taken by sports clubs across the country recently, in an attempt to change the federal government's mind about limiting how much individuals can spend on poker machines.
Several teams in the National Rugby League are preparing for the worst. Already, the Canberra Raiders have cut funding for the CFMEU and the Tradies Club, two useful organizations benfitting Australians. St George Illawarra has announced that it will soon be cutting funding for St. George Leagues beginning in 2014. More cuts are on the horizon, and club owners say that it is due to pokie reform.
By restricting the amount of money that players can spend on poker machines, the government is inadvertently cutting funding for sports leagues. The money generated by sports leagues is, in turn, donated to several other causes – which now lose out as poker machines are likely to generate less revenue after reform is implemented.
This is just one of many detrimental effects that pokie reform could have on Australia charitable organizations. Sports clubs are doing their part to fight the reform, and they remain hopeful that pokie reform will not be implemented.