Russell Crowe - defending the poor from pokies

Kiwi movie star Russell Crowe is behaving like a true gladiator defending the poor of South Sydney against the ravages of pokie machines says the Problem Gambling Foundation.



Crowe and his business partner Peter Holmes a Court own the South Sydney rugby league club, home of the Rabbitohs.



The Redfern based club is undergoing a $35 million redevelopment but there will be no place for pokies in the new facilities.



Mr Holmes a Court said that residents of the poor community had poured an estimated $100 million over 15 years into the club via the pokie machines but had got nothing back for it and the club still went broke.



The clubs 160 pokie machines have been placed in storage and will stay there.



The club believes that quality food and drink and good entertainment will make up for the shortfall.



John Stansfield, CEO of the Problem Gambling Foundation says that Crowe and his partner are combining care and loyalty to fans with good business sense, and sports clubs in NZ should be thinking seriously about following their example.



"We have the situation in NZ where sports clubs are basically abusing the loyalty of fans by encouraging them to gamble," he says.



"Sports administrators seem to think that it is ok to get money by any means so long as it is legal. They have eliminated ethical considerations from their actions.



"Then they wonder why participation rates are dropping."



Mr Stansfield says that for sports clubs to be healthy they needed to be supported by strong and healthy communities.



"Pokies undermine collective activity; they entice people into unhealthy and destructive habits. They also impose an unfair funding burden on poor communities.



"Take rugby for example. It is supposed to be our national sport but hundreds of millions of dollars have been dragged out of our poorest communities through the pokies to support it while the wealthy supporters get a free ride. Sport should be bringing people together but the current funding mechanisms are incredibly divisive and unfair".



Mr Stansfield says the Government needs to step up and take some responsibility in the area.



"They did it with smoking. They said it is bad for health and should not be associated with sport so they set up alternate funding streams.



"Problem gambling is officially a health issue but a double standard applies. Not only are sports clubs addicted to pokie funding, some health services are too".