Victorian Football Clubs Face Growing Pressure to End Associations with Poker Machines Amid Rising Losses
Rise in Gambling Losses Connected to Football Clubs
Over the last financial year, poker machine venues associated with football clubs and leagues in Victoria have resulted in player losses exceeding $110 million. This staggering figure has intensified the discussion about the extent to which football relies on revenue from gambling and the social impact it has on surrounding communities.
Financial Impact and Calls for Reform
According to recent data from the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, football clubs at all levels—from premier AFL teams to local grassroots clubs—continue to generate significant income from poker machines. These venues collectively recorded losses of approximately $110.4 million by players during 2024-2025, amounting to an average daily loss of around $300,000.
Advocates for gambling reform highlight the contradiction between clubs promoting themselves as community-focused while profiting from harmful gambling activities. Tim Costello, head of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, emphasizes the erosion of trust in clubs that endorse family values but benefit financially from pokies. Research increasingly links such gambling losses to serious social issues including financial hardship, family breakdowns, and criminal activity.
Among the highest earning are four AFL teams—Carlton, Essendon, Richmond, and St Kilda—whose eight pokies venues resulted in $40.4 million in player losses. Notably, Carlton’s four venues alone accounted for nearly half of this amount. Victorian Football League clubs such as Werribee, Williamstown, and Port Melbourne combined for losses exceeding $35 million, with Werribee’s two venues responsible for the majority of that total.
Concerns Over Smaller Clubs’ Dependence on Poker Machine Revenue
Smaller football clubs and regional leagues in Victoria also generate substantial income from poker machines. Nine local clubs collectively saw player losses amounting to $34.6 million last year. The Vermont Football Club stood out with losses reaching $11.6 million, followed by clubs from Northcote, Warrnambool, and Hamilton.
Bree Hughes, a survivor of gambling addiction who now advocates for change, finds this situation deeply troubling. After enduring years of addiction that led to personal hardships and incarceration, Hughes argues that it is fundamentally wrong for football clubs to profit from machines that cause such widespread harm, as it contradicts the values sport is meant to uphold.
Rising Gambling Losses and the Need for Change
Victoria recorded record gambling losses in 2024-2025, surpassing $3.1 billion, with many regions experiencing their worst figures ever. Some AFL clubs, such as North Melbourne and Hawthorn, have already divested their poker machines. However, others remain hesitant, citing their financial reliance on this income stream.
Costello and other reform advocates urge football clubs to seek alternative, non-gambling sources of revenue. Until such changes are made, critics warn that the unifying spirit of football will continue to be overshadowed by its association with an industry that inflicts significant harm on society.
