By Laura Michell
Brimbank council has rejected a request for a permanent indoor children’s playground at the St Albans Sports Club amid fears it would expose children and their families to gambling.
The club, which is on council-owned land in Kings Park Reserve, has a temporary indoor playground and is home to 35 electronic gaming machines (EGMs).
Council previously rejected a request for an indoor playground at the site in 2016.
In a letter to council, the club said the permanent indoor playground would make the club “more inclusive” for “families and females”.
The letter noted that seven of the 15 gaming venues in Brimbank have children’s play areas. including Green Gully Soccer Club which is on council-owned land.
However, a report to a council meeting on Tuesday, April 19, recommended councillors reject the proposal, with council officers finding that the negative impacts of the playground would “outweigh” the positive impacts, “particularly the likelihood of increased exposure of EGMs to children and families”.
The report said council had a harm reduction strategy when it came to gambling, with Brimbank recording the highest poker machines losses in the state, with a record $14.98 million lost in December 2021.
Cr Virginia Tachos said she feared approving a playground at a venue with poker machines would encourage gambling and normalise the behaviour for children.
“In this report, the evidence shows that gaming venues with children’s play areas recorded a 22.6 per cent increase in average daily loses [between 2020-21 an 2019-20]… compared to a 6.5 per cent increase for those without a children’s play area,” she said.
Crs Trung Luu, Sam David and Bruce Lancashire voted against the recommendation, believing the playground would be beneficial to the club.
Cr Luu said the club had worked proactively with council to develop a gambling harm minimisation program and said the officers’ recommendation to knock back the playground proposal was unfair.
He said the council was “punishing” the club despite its work to reduce the impact of gambling on its patrons.
