St Albans Sports Club’s application to build an indoor children’s playground has been rejected by Brimbank council because of its proximity to the club’s gambling venue.
The club’s proposal to extend its function room and build a 33 square metre playground was the result of concerns that the existing outdoor playground was too close to a car park and busy roads.
In its submission, the club stated the existing outdoor playground, which cannot be seen from the neighbouring oval or from inside the sports club, was not ideally placed for families involved in sporting activities or those attending functions.
At its last meeting of 2016, Brimbank council determined that the internal playground would contravene its electronic gambling policy (EGP), as the sports club operates on land leased from the council.
In a report to councillors, officers cited concerns about increasing exposure to gambling for families using the playground, normalising gambling among children, increasing the length of time parents spend gambling, and creating perceptions that council supports exposing children and young people to gambling.
The report stated that Brimbank has the highest level of losses on electronic gaming machines of any municipality in Victoria, with more than $143 million poured into pokies in 2015-16.
The council’s EGP commits it to an objective of “harm minimisation”, under which “prevention and early intervention strategies are the most effective approach to reducing the harmful impacts of electronic gambling”.
The report, backed by councillors, also overruled safety concerns about the existing outdoor playground, which was upgraded in 2008-09.
According to the officers’ report, the current playground complies with all safety standards and no public complaints had been received by the council in relation to it.
