The Community Benefit Statements allow pokies venues to receive a tax break on their gambling revenue. Venues are required to show that at least 8.5 percent of their gaming machine revenue is spent on approved community purposes or activities.

To claim an expense on a Community Benefit Statement, it must have been paid from gaming machine revenue, not general revenue. The Community Benefit Statement of the North Ballarat Football Club shows a $10,000 'Council oval maintenance levy' and $21,281 of 'Water and Council Rates' came from pokies revenue. *

“Pokies and problem gambling do enormous harm to the community”, said Jon Stanger. “Council should not be benefiting from pokies revenue.”

“We are talking about standard operating expenses with no community benefit,” said Jon Stanger. “While it is the State Government that allows venues to make a mockery of Community Benefit Statements, Council should be deeply concerned about this.”

“Council should make a clear stand and insist that pokies venues do not pay rates or levies out of pokies revenue and claim them as a community benefit.”