I was just looking at the revenue for each clubs poker machines. Ours has 2012 revenue but the figures are interesting.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-clubs-reject-offer-to-help-reduce-reliance-on-poker-machine-cash/story-fni5f22o-1226788374023

We have the same number of machines as the big boys in some cases more but our revenue is well below.

Carlton:

Gaming-related revenue (GRR): $19.7m

Machines: 290

COLLINGWOOD

GRR: $22.1m

Machines: 186

ESSENDON

GRR: $13.7m

Machines:: 190

GEELONG

GRR: $13.7m

Machines:: 180

HAWTHORN

GRR: $18.5m

Machines: 155

MELBOURNE

GRR: $6.9m*

Machines:: 180

I gather its related to location and type of clientele and I don't like them in general, lucky in WA we haven't been infected. But that is a massive difference in gross revenue for the club. I hope management is looking at increases the return of our non football income streams. Just imagine if we could boost it into the $13m in a short period of time.

Edited December 22, 201311 yr by Darkhorse72

It is a hard one. Pokies are a blight on society and I hate what they have done to the local pub. Yet I shudder to think where the club would be without that $7m and would also love to see revenue grow

I hate ****ing pokies, they are an absolute disgrace and prey on the lower income earning members of our society. All pokies should be banned and no clubs should be allowed to make money from them.

Well, that's my opinion anyway, the reality of the situation is that too many people are making too much money for anything to be done about it, all I can do is try and educate my kids and offer help to anyone I know who is stupid enough to go to them.

I hate pokies as well but the reality is they only exist because of the dolts who feed money into them. If someone's going to make money off them might as well be MFC.

I hate pokies as well but the reality is they only exist because of the dolts who feed money into them. If someone's going to make money off them might as well be MFC.

Agree look how much Collingwood is making off its Fans. Just goes to show what type of Supporters that Club has.

would anyone really be griping if we were reaping in say $15 M ?? doubt it

we can be a martyr to a cause or we can get better returns. Damned either way...broke only 1 !!

would anyone really be griping if we were reaping in say $15 M ?? doubt it

we can be a martyr to a cause or we can get better returns. Damned either way...broke only 1 !!

Last time I played was Piston Broke

There are two major factors influencing how much we make off the pokies. One, as has been mentioned, is the location in terms of how many people in that area are going to play them and for how long. The fact that we make so little is in this respect a positive as it would indicate somewhat smarter supporters. This is likely the source of Collingwood's huge revenue.

The second is the licensing cost of the machines, and this is quite interesting. A few years ago there was a controversy when the company owning a number of these machines refused to renew the license for them to several clubs and instead sold them at a bargain rate to Carlton. The CEO of that company happened to be a Carlton Board member. The result was of course that Carlton gained access to many more machines at a significantly lower cost than most clubs are paying, hence their strong continuing profits. This is also the factor that almost killed the Casey Scorpions when they licensed a batch of machines but didn't have a venue to house them and wound up taking a 100% loss on the venture.

Personally, I would prefer to see us abandon the concept entirely, but given how low our profits are I doubt if we could actually stay afloat without that cash.

I don't like them but to stop all clubs would need to agree to stop them.

At least they are technically non profit ie people lower money but it is returned to a non profit spring club, not a fat cat corporation shareholders.

I'd like to see all pokies owned abs run by licensed charities. At least the money would go back into a worthy cause.

am curious...whats all THIS about ??

AFL backs Melbournes pokie venture

seems to infer we got more than the supposed 6.9

is this a case of total beat up bullshlttery by someone niggled ?

what we take in other than pokie money is surely just like anyone else ?

I smell another rat

Yep, the licencing arrangements for poker machines is little short of corrupt, and the revenue streams tell a disturbing tale.

Poke machines place in areas with high poverty, low education, and in particular sustained unemployment, get higher revenue because you're more likely to find people who will become addicted.

The facts are simple - the best poker machine revenue comes from addicts, by a huge margin. And the best addicts come from overall vulnerable populations.

All the other clubs on the list the OP has pasted, except ours, lay claim to being financially secure, growing steadily and with numerous solid revenue streams. On the other hand, we'd go belly up without that revenue.

It is my quiet ambition that the Demons be the first of that list to one day ditch unethical revenue like poker machines. Not least because it would be a right kick up the egos of those sanctimonious 'look at us providing the welfare to the weak clubs' bastards.

It's a lot easier to be ethical when you're strong. One of the key reasons I want Melbourne (and myself!) to really get some financial security in coming years.

am curious...whats all THIS about ??

AFL backs Melbournes pokie venture

seems to infer we got more than the supposed 6.9

is this a case of total beat up bullshlttery by someone niggled ?

what we take in other than pokie money is surely just like anyone else ?

I smell another rat

The 6.9 mill is the 2012 figure, in2013 the club made11.9 mill, easily to understand,

ah.....my bad...thankee sai

Ok let's leave the gambling machine question to the side for a while. They are a sick scourge and the AFL should be ashamed that they sell TV rights for 1billion dollars for 5 years but leave their clubs on life support owning this crap. The very fans who go to games are the same ones exploited by these silly machines. Dumb people but people none the less.

Now lets look at the AFL financial support and position of the club....

2.3 mil in debt to the Gaming commission which in fairness isn't too much debt on a business that takes in 11.2 mil per year we can probably live with that level of debt and the AFL guaranteeing it isn't a big deal their as they are really guaranteeing the rest of the business doesn't go down the drain. But a 3 million dollar operating loan sounds pretty nasty. We will need a successful season of revenue next year to make that operating loan shrink down and not get bigger.

Personally I think the all AFL clubs should split from outside business ventures because I'd like to buy a membership to a football club with the prime business of football and not a part time football club/part time pokie pub company.

Anyone have North's figures for the last few years since they declared they'd have nothing to do with pokies?

I think we should get some more licences. If we could make 20 odd million p/a off them we'd be kicking goals on and off the field with the money we could use to support the club.

An interesting dilemma really.

They are essentially a form of regressive taxation used principally by governments to tax the poor to further enrich the wealthy, with clubs of various sorts riding on their coat tails.

Still, despite their very addictive nature, they are not as far as I am aware, compulsory.

Anyone have North's figures for the last few years since they declared they'd have nothing to do with pokies?

Not going to go down well here, but I'm also a North member for this very reason. Wish my club could give up the poke.

We want the club to be more aggressive .

They are.

Lets get some cash flowin'.

Edited December 23, 201311 yr by Fork 'em

Aggressive?

Unethical?

I'm not that much a fan of 'aggressive' as a corporate culture for a community organisation. Though I understand people use 'aggression' to refer to 'actually doing things' sometimes. Because... I dunno...

Definitely not ok with unethical. There is nothing better about poker machines than making a living selling addictive drugs. The only thing making it acceptable is that enough people are involved and invested to keep the social pressure down.

I neither like nor approve of pokies, but tobacco and alcohol are a lot more addictive and damaging to people living in poverty than pokies.

At least we pokies bring the club a lot of revenue

Ok let's leave the gambling machine question to the side for a while. They are a sick scourge and the AFL should be ashamed that they sell TV rights for 1billion dollars for 5 years but leave their clubs on life support owning this crap. The very fans who go to games are the same ones exploited by these silly machines. Dumb people but people none the less.

Now lets look at the AFL financial support and position of the club....

2.3 mil in debt to the Gaming commission which in fairness isn't too much debt on a business that takes in 11.2 mil per year we can probably live with that level of debt and the AFL guaranteeing it isn't a big deal their as they are really guaranteeing the rest of the business doesn't go down the drain. But a 3 million dollar operating loan sounds pretty nasty. We will need a successful season of revenue next year to make that operating loan shrink down and not get bigger.

Personally I think the all AFL clubs should split from outside business ventures because I'd like to buy a membership to a football club with the prime business of football and not a part time football club/part time pokie pub company.

Well said... A well run AFL wouldn't even consider letting clubs make money off pokies.

One thing we've learned this year is that the AFL has no ethics or integrity.

The biggest game in the land and the best game in the world, wrecked by greed.

I suggest those happy with this situation and labelling those who use the machines as 'idiots' haven't first hand experience with this scourge on society, be that themselves or family members.

Pokie use isn't always a vice connected with the idiots and the uneducated, there is a lot of research that connects those suffering depression and escapism to the booze and pokies, I could therefore never support this as an ethical revenue stream. The AFL, clubs and the government should be ashamed in condoning this ridiculous tax on those in our society with this problem.

Unfortunately I love my footy and this club too much to turn my back on it because of this issue, but ill continue to vent my strong opposition at every opportunity.

Don't seem to recall anyone complaining about DeesBet or Tooheys...

On every Poker machine the odds can be altered with the flick of a swith.

This is done regularly depending on patronage.

Wish they did not exist. But some people do use them....