By Nicole Precel
WILLIAMSTOWN Football Club nabbed a bargain at Victoria’s first poker machine auction last week while other Hobsons Bay venues remained tight-lipped.
WFC general manager Brendan Curry said the club opted to bid in the auction and managed to buy 66 poker machines for $5500 each, five more than they previously had.
VIC Inn Williamstown, along with Williamstown RSL and the Altona Bowling Club did not take part in the auction, instead opting for the pre-auction offer.
Mr Curry said if their club had opted for the pre-auction offer, it would have cost them much more than the $330,000 they spent.
“The Government worked out what your revenue was at the time and they had a system where they worked out what you had to pay for a machine. I think the pre-auction offer was roughly $75,000 a machine, to buy 40 would have cost us about $3 million," he said.
Hobsons Bay pubs and clubs generated a total of $26,283,527.24 from their 579 poker machines in the last financial year.
The Millers Inn Hotel in Altona North generated the highest revenue, with $6,365,316.45 from 70 machines. This was closely followed by Club Laverton with 60 Tattersall’s machines generating $4,097,856.74, Seagull’s Nest in Williamstown with 61 Tabcorp machines generating $3,617,988.77, Altona Sports Club with 83 machines generating $2,479,591.65.
Minister for Gaming Tony Robinson said an allocation process would make the industry “more accountable” and the most heavily regulated gaming machine industry in Australia.
The State Government auctioned off 10-year gaming licences for the state’s 27,500 poker machines last week, breaking a 16-year duopoly on licenses by Tattersalls and Tabcorp.
The changes, which will take effect in 2012, mean gaming operators will receive 100 per cent of gaming revenue, but will have to give the State Government a 30 per cent cut.
Presently, revenue from a gaming machine is split three ways – with the venue, the State Government and Tattersalls or Tabcorp each getting a third of total revenue.
The auction raised $981 million.
A State Government statement said the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation would confirm and announce poker machine entitlement holders on 7 June.
Mr Robinson said the State Government had maintained municipal and regional gaming caps during the auction process.
Changes also include the removal of ATMs from gaming venues, funding towards gamblers’ help services and introduction of pre-commitment mechanisms to control spend and time limits.
Mr Curry said while some clubs had to pay more than others, he thought all clubs would benefit.
“We’re putting money into our facilities in Williamstown and I think everyone can benefit from it,” he said.
