The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation welcomed the announcement by Hawthorn Football Club that it has finalised arrangements to completely divest itself of pokies. Foundation CEO Shane Lucas said the decision by these clubs reflected community support to keep sport and gambling separate. Mr Lucas said that with the sale of its two venues, Hawthorn FC, a Love the Game partner, is the latest in a line of Victorian AFL clubs to remove gambling from its revenue stream. Other Love the Game AFL partners – North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Collingwood and Geelong – are free of pokies, and Melbourne Football Club is almost there.
“By divesting from pokies, Hawthorn Football Club is stepping away from a product that resulted in Victorians losing more than $1.5 billion in 2020–21 alone.” Mr Lucas commented “Sporting clubs at all levels, from community-based to professional, are leaders and role models within the Victorian community. The Foundation is proud to partner with Hawthorn and more than 650 other sporting clubs and associations to build a community free from gambling-related harm.”
Mr Lucas said that Hawthorn’s announcement comes in the wake of recently released Nielsen data that showed 948 gambling ads were broadcast on free-to-air TV in Victoria every day in 2021, an increase of more than 250 per cent since 2016. “A generation of kids has grown up thinking that betting on sport is normal, but that doesn’t sit well with AFL fans or the broader community.” Mr Lucas commented “Victorian families love the game, not the odds, and so do Victoria’s Love the Game sporting partners.”