Big not always better

Recent revelations about the behaviour and activities of some of the biggest Class 4 gambling trusts proves the point that big is not always better the Chairman of the Community Gaming Association, John Burke, said today.

“The fact that one of the biggest trusts, which has always promoted itself as leading the way by being ISO accredited, has had to shut down its total operation for a day at a cost of nearly a million dollars to the community is a major blow.

“The compliance requirements in the sector are tough and require close monitoring. Economies of scale can often lead to minor but important tasks being overlooked.

“Big also means distance from local communities. The whole idea of allowing pokies into the country 20 years ago was so they would be used for local community fund raising. As the bigger trusts have competed to grow even bigger they have lost touch with the people.

“The Community Gaming Association is proud to represent operators who are focused on the communities they come from; who put community first and who deliver real value to local schools, sports clubs and community groups.

“We haven’t been building up large piles of undistributed cash. CGA members know how important every dollar is and make sure it gets back to the community groups which need it.

“We will continue to serve the needs of the communities where we live and don’t need the big corporate business structures with big marketing budgets which some of the big players have spent to make fundraising a corporate activity rather than a community benefit,” said Mr Burke.