Responsible gambling - Consumer Affairs Victoria

E3
Working it out
Exercise 1 – Public outrage!
Small group activity
Imagine that the following article appeared in the newspaper:
Club Members Outraged
GAMBLER’S HELP LINE
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Responsible Gambling | Section E: Taking the problem out of problem gambling
Consumer Affairs Victoria | consumer.vic.gov.au
Members of the Edgebank Community Club are up in arms that their committee is considering cutting the
number of poker machines at the club.
“We need the money from those machines,” one member said. “We run a soccer club for the kids, have
lawn bowls and provide cheap meals, which pensioners and families love. The money from those pokies
means that we can run these things really cheaply, which means that everyone can afford to be a part of
it. We would be forced to put up our prices. This is not a rich area. Most families are struggling just to put
food on the table.”
However, anti-gambling groups would welcome the move. “There are still far too many poker machines.
This move would be in the right direction. It would be a win for gambling victims and their families,” a
spokesperson said. “Hopefully this is the beginning of compassion winning out over greed.”
The president of the club is prepared to listen. “We haven’t made any decision yet. The committee is
concerned that too much harm is being caused by these machines, but we understand the concerns of all
the members of the club. We are prepared to listen to all sides before making up our mind.”
a) What is the committee of the club considering?
b) Who are the stakeholders involved in this case?
c) For each stakeholder, prepare a card that can be placed on the floor with the name of the stakeholder
on it. These cards should be placed on the floor in a circle, with a blank card in the middle.
Each member of the group should stand by one card. The group should appoint one person to
keep time.
The class could appoint one or two roving reporters who take down notes from each group and
then prepare a TV news style story for the rest of the class.
Each group should debate the issue from the point of view of their stakeholder card. The blank
card in the middle is for one group member to argue from their personal point of view.
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