By Ethan Benedicto
The need for a fine line is a must for Tooradin and District Sports Club, as a newly endorsed policy by Casey Council could impact the club’s continued operation.
Casey’s most recent Gambling Harm Minimisation Policy, which looks to curb the local impact of gambling harm will effectively deem the sports club inoperable after its lease ends in 2028 unless there are no electronic gaming machines (EGM) on-site.
According to Casey’s chair of administrators Noelene Duff PSM, the policy states that the council “will not support any new EGM-operating venues or organisations on council-owned or managed land”.
Nor will they renew existing EGM-operating venues or organisation leases on council-owned or managed land.
“The Tooradin and District Sports Club has a current, long-term lease agreement with council which will be honoured to its conclusion,” Ms Duff said.
Tooradin Ward council candidate, Anthony Tassone posted a video on Facebook recently calling for further conversations with the City of Casey, citing from the 16 July agenda that the new policy would impact the club’s “not-for-profit support of the local community”.
The City of Casey consistently ranks second in gambling losses amongst other Victorian LGAs, only behind the City of Brimbank; in the financial year of 2022/2023, Casey saw a record $159 million in player losses from EGMs alone, which exceeded the previous high of $139 million before the pandemic.
After the policy’s endorsement during the 20 July meeting, and corroborating Ms Duff’s statement, all administrators endorsed the policy’s cessation of support for new EGM-operating venues on council land, which the Toordin District and Sports Club happens to be.
Vice president of the sports club and former mayor of Casey, Colin Butler, said that if the club were to be closed down, their yearly community benefits of $360,000 would no longer continue.
“We pride this [place] on being a family club, I know we have [EGMs] down there but that’s still a legitimate form of entertainment.
“We keep our prices down, we support all the major sporting clubs around here, and not just Tooradin but surrounding areas as well.
“Kindergartens, schools – at the moment we’ve got an agricultural society convening in here, we’ve got three equestrians, two Lions clubs meeting here; they all meet for free,” Mr Butler said.
Tooradin Sports Club supports local sports avenues, including Tooradin Football Club, Netball Club, Tennis Club, Cricket Club and more.
The council emphasised the importance of its position on health prioritisation when it comes to gambling harm, however proper local collaboration was needed according to Mr Tassone.
In a letter to Star News, he elaborated that “governments at any level, including the local government at Casey get the best outcomes for those they serve when they consult with and listen to their community”.
“I call on the City of Casey to pause, consult and listen to the local community before making a decision on this important issue,” he said.
The policy outlines that the council’s stance on the matter is that all forms of gambling and associated arms are a public health issue “of significant and growing concern” due to the “countless ways” harm is experienced both directly and indirectly.
It also adds that the 13 EGM gaming venues across the municipality are unevenly distributed within lower socioeconomic communities, with five of the 13 in Cranbourne and smaller clusters in Hallam and Hampton Park.
Ms Duff emphasised that the policy is about “broader community harms that result from gambling activities in the municipality, which includes direct harm to the gamblers themselves”.
“As well as indirect harms to family and social networks and [the] community at large,” Ms Duff said.
Addressing concerns regarding community organisations, Ms Duff said that the draft policy “does not prevent community organisations from receiving support from gaming venues or the gambling industry”.
“Community organisations that receive funding or support from the gambling industry or gaming venues will still be able to use Council facilities with the understanding that no gambling industry/venue advertisements are visible on council land,” Ms Duff said.
Ms Duff added that the mentioned conditions would be fully applied by July 2026 and that the draft policy “provides for a transition period in a number of measures to allow time to adapt to the proposed changes”.
For Mr Butler, some form of middle ground needs to be met, taking into account that the club is on council land, they “should be considered in a different light to all the other clubs in the City of Casey”.
“We should have some negotiations with the City of Casey to continue to run this facility as it is with a long-term guarantee that we can, because of the money that we’ve put back into the community – it’s a unique situation,” he said.
Although Ms Duff said that community organisations that are “significantly impacted by the policy are encouraged to discuss their circumstances with council”, a larger council presence prior to the announcement of the policy should have been present in Tooradin and surrounding areas, according to Mr Butler, where proper engagement with the local community would have been beneficial.
“It’s almost as if they’ve forgotten about Tooradin in general, as the locals say, we’re at the butt end of Casey and they’re not interested in us,” Mr Butler said.
“A blanket policy where you’ve got private operators and you’ve got a not-for-profit organisation doesn’t work.”
The Tooradin Sports Club is the only venue with EGMs in the southern end of Casey, and if the club were to cease operations, “there aren’t any alternatives”.
Mr Butler said that if it were to go through, “you’ve lost 50-plus jobs and there’s nearly 2500 members here that come to enjoy this place.”
“They’re going to lose somewhere to go, to meet and you’re [also going] to lose 20 to 30 clubs that have their meetings here every month, that have their functions here.
“So the community would be lost, there would be a big hole in the community all of a sudden,” he said.
The Tooradin Sports Club, amongst all the gaming venues in Casey, recorded the lowest average player losses per EGM in 2021/2022, sitting at $48,059 with also the lowest amount of EGMs at 46.
The club recorded roughly $1.6 million in player losses in 2021/2022 and $2.2 million in player losses for the 2022/2023 period.
At the time of the document’s recording, the venue with the second-lowest number of machines was Cranbourne Silks with 50, and an average player loss rate of $65,881 per machine.
The biggest contributor is Berwick Springs Hotel, with 105 EGMs with $14.5 million in player losses in 2021/2022 and $21.5 million in 2022/2023; the average player loss per machine is $204,962.
In the near future, Mr Butler is looking to liaise with future Casey councillors for the middle ground he sought prior, Ms Duff said that “exceptions to the policy will be rare”.
When the sports club’s lease ends in 2028, Mr Butler said that they’re hoping that they “can get some councillors [in office] that appreciate what we do for the community”.
“We’ve got to be diligent going into 2028, probably six months before it’s due we’ve got to start working on building rapport with councillors to ensure another six years.”
Mr Tassone acknowledged the harms of gambling, but said that “we need to consider whether the Tooradin community will actually be better off should the City of Casey adopt this policy”.
