A favour to ask....

[maddog37]

By that logic the club should start selling meth.

Now now Scrag.

 

[BrisDog]

By that logic the club should start selling meth.

Not another thread detailed by the actions of Essendon Football Club...

Well done Bresker by the way.

 

[Fossie 32]

Yes, good on you Bresker. I only discovered recently that North had a policy against them and thought that very admirable. Nice work.

 

[bresker]

I got my two sigs from a lovely couple called Gladys and Glenda who drove three hours for open training today . I wanted to drop my form straight into Ameet Bains hands but the girls at reception got shitty with me . They promise to give to him Monday morning

 

[AJARWA]

I got my two sigs from a lovely couple called Gladys and Glenda who drove three hours for open training today . I wanted to drop my form straight into Ameet Bains hands but the girls at reception got shitty with me . They promise to give to him Monday morning

Putting your money where your mouth is. Not common. Great stuff. Keen to hear how things progress.

 

[bresker]

It's on like Donkey Kong. Got a call from our rather agitated new CEO asking me to pull out of the directors nomination as it's going to be a pain in the arse for him & cost the club money. The directors get rubber stamped every year and they're unprepared for a real election.

I told him I'd pull out if the club made a public commitment not to renew the poker machine licenses. He can't do that so I'm sticking to my guns.


I don't really want to do this, I've got better things to do with my time & I'm a very busy man. But I really, really hate poker machines. I'm an addict myself. Ameet Bains tells me that the club has 'aspirations' to get rid of them. Everyone has aspirations. I used have aspirations to marry Emma Watson. I feel that unless someone kicks up a fuss the club will continue to suck money from the pokies addicts.

I also feel it wouldn't be so bad to have an actual hardcore fan like myself on the board rather than the usual ex players and grandees. I doubt I'll win but I'll give it a shake.

 

[AJARWA]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/geelon...-cats-reliance-on-gaming-20171218-h06y0z.html

This is the trend. Maybe the board could look at preparing a strategy to remove it's reliance on pokies by a certain date. And/or commit to decreasing pokies revenue by a certain percentage once the new etihad deal is finalised. Surely that's an easy win.

 

[JJHunter]

I much rather this money going into the game we all love, than to greedy politicians, corrupt business people, bikie gangs and other criminal elements.

This is a point often missed.
Just cause we wouldn’t have them wouldn’t help the poor addicted people u speak of. The license goes elsewhere just like the money

 

[ScragCity]

This is a point often missed.
Just cause we wouldn’t have them wouldn’t help the poor addicted people u speak of. The license goes elsewhere just like the money

I think these appeal-to-futility type arguments are a bit defeatist. You're making the assumption that there's only two options: either we prey on problem gamblers or someone else does. I'd argue that we should be setting standards in the hope that eventually poker machines are no longer supported within our society. It's not like there aren't millions of ethically responsible ways to make money/invest. Even if poker machines continue to run, I'd feel more comfortable if the football team I choose to follow aren't participating in it.

 

[maddog37]

It's on like Donkey Kong. Got a call from our rather agitated new CEO asking me to pull out of the directors nomination as it's going to be a pain in the arse for him & cost the club money. The directors get rubber stamped every year and they're unprepared for a real election.

I told him I'd pull out if the club made a public commitment not to renew the poker machine licenses. He can't do that so I'm sticking to my guns.


I don't really want to do this, I've got better things to do with my time & I'm a very busy man. But I really, really hate poker machines. I'm an addict myself. Ameet Bains tells me that the club has 'aspirations' to get rid of them. Everyone has aspirations. I used have aspirations to marry Emma Watson. I feel that unless someone kicks up a fuss the club will continue to suck money from the pokies addicts.

I also feel it wouldn't be so bad to have an actual hardcore fan like myself on the board rather than the usual ex players and grandees. I doubt I'll win but I'll give it a shake.

I would just urge you to reconsider exactly who you are doing this for........

 

[Mr. Walker]

Received my copy of the 2017 Yearbook in the mail today. In Peter Gordon's piece he writes a section " We've rid ourselves of the Edgewater debacle and have less than half the number of pokies a previous administration 10 years ago, planned for us to have. We may in the next few years lose the rest of them too."

Not a firm comittment but the aspiration is there.

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

Pokies aren’t comparable to alcohol. Pokies are deliberately designed to addict users. The manufacturers know this. At least 40% of the revenue comes from problem gamblers. And though there’s only one person gambling, there are usually 4 or 5 family members affected. Really badly affected in many cases. Bankruptcies, defaulted mortgages, family violence - and suicide.

Agree entirely!
They are effectively operate as a poor tax as they sell hope to the people who have the least amount. That's not to say that wealthy people dont use them because quite clearly they do but the proliferation of these machines are in the most socially disadvantaged areas as the get rich quick dream and pure escapism is what they sell.
I know myself I have indulged in them from time to time and enjoy playing them but I am fortunate enough to be able to control my use, however I have one close family member who has suffered from the addiction and its their family that suffers most.
I don't work to far from Preston so if you still need a signature I could help. If you don't good luck with it all we need more people like you!

 

[Allan Shorty]

It's on like Donkey Kong. Got a call from our rather agitated new CEO asking me to pull out of the directors nomination as it's going to be a pain in the arse for him & cost the club money. The directors get rubber stamped every year and they're unprepared for a real election.

I told him I'd pull out if the club made a public commitment not to renew the poker machine licenses. He can't do that so I'm sticking to my guns.


I don't really want to do this, I've got better things to do with my time & I'm a very busy man. But I really, really hate poker machines. I'm an addict myself. Ameet Bains tells me that the club has 'aspirations' to get rid of them. Everyone has aspirations. I used have aspirations to marry Emma Watson. I feel that unless someone kicks up a fuss the club will continue to suck money from the pokies addicts.

I also feel it wouldn't be so bad to have an actual hardcore fan like myself on the board rather than the usual ex players and grandees. I doubt I'll win but I'll give it a shake.

You are absolutely right that kicking up a fuss is the only way. As long as it's done in a respectful positive way which offers wins for all sides. Good on you. Good luck.

 

[Deadly Darcy]

It's on like Donkey Kong. Got a call from our rather agitated new CEO asking me to pull out of the directors nomination as it's going to be a pain in the arse for him & cost the club money. The directors get rubber stamped every year and they're unprepared for a real election.

I told him I'd pull out if the club made a public commitment not to renew the poker machine licenses. He can't do that so I'm sticking to my guns.


I don't really want to do this, I've got better things to do with my time & I'm a very busy man. But I really, really hate poker machines. I'm an addict myself. Ameet Bains tells me that the club has 'aspirations' to get rid of them. Everyone has aspirations. I used have aspirations to marry Emma Watson. I feel that unless someone kicks up a fuss the club will continue to suck money from the pokies addicts.

I also feel it wouldn't be so bad to have an actual hardcore fan like myself on the board rather than the usual ex players and grandees. I doubt I'll win but I'll give it a shake.

Totally behind you. I hate handpicked boards.

Go forth and conquer.

 

[Cori]

Well done Bresker. I am super proud of people who with belief and the integrity to work hard for it. I'd vote for you any day.

 

[TMoney22]

mate, a business just can't drop $5mil from the budget at a drop of a hat. If your aiming for that in regards to your response back to Bains then i dont think that is the right way to go about this.
If you can get them to work on a 5+ year plan to gradually drop the number of machines or something like that then that may work and they may listen to you. Give them some ideas or your just another normal person wanting to be a director.

The utopia world we would all love doesnt exist and will never. Work hard to get half way there rather than all the way. At least you can then have a chance at making a difference.

Good luck but try to look for their point of view as well

 

[bresker]

I was emailed by the club yesterday at 10am asking me to provide a one page biography, detailing my connections to the club and qualifications. I had to have it in by 5pm

It was pretty stressful getting it written while trying to teach my grade 3/4 class but I got this in:

“
My name is Stuart McDonald. I'm originally from Ireland. When I migrated to Melbourne in 1999 I soon realised I needed to choose an Aussie Rules team. I lived first in St Albans and then Sunshine, becoming an adopted Son of the West. I fell in love with the sport and with the Doggies. I became a member and travelled to Docklands to cheer on the boys every week they played in Melbourne. I had a spell back in Ireland but returned to Australia in time for Bev's reign and our glorious finals run. I'm a social club member and I was lucky enough to be at the MCG to watch our Grand Final victory. Through bigfooty.com I've sponsored a number of players over the years.


I'm a primary school teacher. I have three children aged sixteen, two and six months. The two year old is mad about the Doggies and accompanies me to games. I love the footy - but I hate pokies.


The Western Bulldogs operate 63 poker machines across two venues, Club Leeds in Footscray and Club Dromana. Community members lost nearly $6 million on Bulldogs pokies in 2016/17. The Club operates these pokies, despite research which tells us that 40% of this money comes from people with gambling addiction. About 60% comes from people experiencing harm with their gambling.


I'm a pokies addict. So are many others in our community. That's not surprising. Poker machines are deliberately designed to ensnare and addict users. Their sole purpose is to extract money from the user as quickly as possible.

I've lost thousands of dollars to these misleading and addictive machines over the years. Some of this money was lost at venues operated by our club. I consider myself fortunate. Other people have lost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.


The pokie machines operated by the Western Bulldogs are responsible for immense harm within our community. They contribute to family violence, divorce, alcoholism, criminal behaviour and suicide.

New AFL chairman Richard Goyder has declared he hates the pokies and has established “Project Fruit” inside the commission which is aiming to reduce AFL club dependency on pokies revenue. The Bulldogs should be a leading advocate for reform through this process and ultimately join North Melbourne in being proudly pokies free.


This club stands for community. The sons and daughters of the west do not want our club operating these machines. Our club captain Easton Wood has publicly stated he "couldn't stomach" gambling. We have record membership and many revenue streams.Help me kick the pokies out of footy. We don't need them. We don't want them.

Regards and Go Dogs!

Stuart McDonald

Now the club have got back to me & said they’re only using the first two paragraphs on the nomination form. Anything I’ve put in bold will be left out.

I felt very disappointed last night when they told me this. I thought the club was better than this. They’ve censored almost my entire message.

Then I stopped sooking and realised we are the club . We are the members. Not all of you agree with my stance, but many do. The admin might not like what I’m doing but they’re just club employees. Ameet Baines has only been in the job 10 days. He’s probably not even a fan.

I’m going to do something about this. Watch this space.

 

[bresker]

mate, a business just can't drop $5mil from the budget at a drop of a hat. If your aiming for that in regards to your response back to Bains then i dont think that is the right way to go about this.
If you can get them to work on a 5+ year plan to gradually drop the number of machines or something like that then that may work and they may listen to you. Give them some ideas or your just another normal person wanting to be a director.

The utopia world we would all love doesnt exist and will never. Work hard to get half way there rather than all the way. At least you can then have a chance at making a difference.

Good luck but try to look for their point of view as well

I’d love a public commitment from the club that they drop the pokies after the next 5 year renewal. The licenses are up for renewal next Feb. I don’t want the club having pokies for another 5 years but we could work with that .

 

[ScragCity]

I was emailed by the club yesterday at 10am asking me to provide a one page biography, detailing my connections to the club and qualifications. I had to have it in by 5pm

It was pretty stressful getting it written while trying to teach my grade 3/4 class but I got this in:

“
My name is Stuart McDonald. I'm originally from Ireland. When I migrated to Melbourne in 1999 I soon realised I needed to choose an Aussie Rules team. I lived first in St Albans and then Sunshine, becoming an adopted Son of the West. I fell in love with the sport and with the Doggies. I became a member and travelled to Docklands to cheer on the boys every week they played in Melbourne. I had a spell back in Ireland but returned to Australia in time for Bev's reign and our glorious finals run. I'm a social club member and I was lucky enough to be at the MCG to watch our Grand Final victory. Through bigfooty.com I've sponsored a number of players over the years.


I'm a primary school teacher. I have three children aged sixteen, two and six months. The two year old is mad about the Doggies and accompanies me to games. I love the footy - but I hate pokies.


The Western Bulldogs operate 63 poker machines across two venues, Club Leeds in Footscray and Club Dromana. Community members lost nearly $6 million on Bulldogs pokies in 2016/17. The Club operates these pokies, despite research which tells us that 40% of this money comes from people with gambling addiction. About 60% comes from people experiencing harm with their gambling.


I'm a pokies addict. So are many others in our community. That's not surprising. Poker machines are deliberately designed to ensnare and addict users. Their sole purpose is to extract money from the user as quickly as possible.

I've lost thousands of dollars to these misleading and addictive machines over the years. Some of this money was lost at venues operated by our club. I consider myself fortunate. Other people have lost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.


The pokie machines operated by the Western Bulldogs are responsible for immense harm within our community. They contribute to family violence, divorce, alcoholism, criminal behaviour and suicide.

New AFL chairman Richard Goyder has declared he hates the pokies and has established “Project Fruit” inside the commission which is aiming to reduce AFL club dependency on pokies revenue. The Bulldogs should be a leading advocate for reform through this process and ultimately join North Melbourne in being proudly pokies free.


This club stands for community. The sons and daughters of the west do not want our club operating these machines. Our club captain Easton Wood has publicly stated he "couldn't stomach" gambling. We have record membership and many revenue streams.Help me kick the pokies out of footy. We don't need them. We don't want them.

Regards and Go Dogs!

Stuart McDonald

Now the club have got back to me & said they’re only using the first two paragraphs on the nomination form. Anything I’ve put in bold will be left out.

I felt very disappointed last night when they told me this. I thought the club was better than this. They’ve censored almost my entire message.

Then I stopped sooking and realised we are the club . We are the members. Not all of you agree with my stance, but many do. The admin might not like what I’m doing but they’re just club employees. Ameet Baines has only been in the job 10 days. He’s probably not even a fan.

I’m going to do something about this. Watch this space.

Its pretty sad that you're being censored. Absolutely right about the fact that we are the club.

 

[ivan rassmussen]

Vote 1 Stuart McDonald!

Bresker, I'm not sure yet if I will be able to attend the AGM, but I'm happy to complete a Proxy Form in your favour. I read your earlier posts with interest, and was a bit ambivalent about whether it would prompt me to attend and/or vote, but the censorship of your biography just p1ssed me off enough to vote.

Good luck...

 

[Wayne Dwop]

Its pretty sad that you're being censored. Absolutely right about the fact that we are the club.

To be fair to the club, the censored section does not form a part of the "biography" as requested.

 

[ivan rassmussen]

To be fair to the club, the censored section does not form a part of the "biography" as requested.

No, but it outlines the reasons he is running for the position, and is a relevant part of his biography, particularly the fact that he is a pokies addict. Will be interested to see what other nominees have in their biography.

 

[Sentinel]

Well done bresker on a strong initiative.

I don't believe it will be possible to eradicate pokies in the short term, as we (along with most other clubs) unfortunately have become so reliant on the income which they deliver - it would surely be impossible to cut out more than $5 million without quickly sending the club back into the red. But mid-long term, who knows.

Your commitment to pursuing this is absolutely admirable, and will hopefully be the beginning of some fruitful discussions around how the club, and potentially the industry on the whole, can move away from this scourge into revenue streams that aren't so reprehensible. I think the challenge is finding which avenue can and will replace those millions of dollars they bring in, as (unfortunately) I don't think the club will see the sale of the pokies machines as viable until an appropriate solution is found.

eSports anyone?

 

[synchrodogcal]

i'd like to voice my support for your campaign against these insidious machines & i think the response from out new ceo asking you to pull out is nothing short of disgraceful

 

[maddog37]

To be fair to the club, the censored section does not form a part of the "biography" as requested.

Agreed. It is a narrative.