Last week, the Greater Western Sydney Giants announced they that may consider using pokie funds raise money for the club. Now, MP Andrew Wilkie is speaking out against the plan, and asking for the team to reconsider. Wilkie, who is well-known for his anti-pokie stance, wants AFL leaders to stop the Giants from using pokies to raise funds.
He has asked AFL Chief Executive Andrew Demetriou to speak with the Giants and compel them to find another way to fund their operations. Demetriou has already stated that he wants to work with the federal government to help reduce problem gambling rates across the country.
In 2011, when pokie reform was on the table, he said: "What we would want to do is work with the government, work with Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon and others to address and tackle the issue of problem gambling”. Now, Wilkie wants him to make good on his word by stopping the Giants from using pokie profits as funding.
The MP believes that the football club would be taking advantage of vulnerable individuals in order to raise money to fund its operations. There are certainly other ways to fund a football club, and Wilkie would like to see GWS use another means of fundraising. “Andrew Demetriou needs to show leadership here and use his influence to get GWS to reverse this move,” Senator Xenophon said.
“He’s talked the talk on problem gambling, now he needs to walk the walk”. The GWS Giants have only recently debuted, and they have not fared well thus far in the AFL. As such, the team cannot realistically depend on concessions to raise funds. A spokesperson for the Giants has stated that the team has not yet made a final decision on using pokie profits to fund the club.
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