A Sunshine Coast pub undergoing redevelopment has sold its gaming licence, joining a small but growing list of local venues to ditch poker machines.
The latest establishment to take pokies off the menu has revealed it sold its gaming licences for close to $5 million.
Joe’s Waterhole at Eumundi, which was once the Commercial Hotel, was sold for $5.3 million to Good Drinks Australia Ltd in 2021.
Good Drinks is currently transforming the heritage-listed pub into a hospitality venue and microbrewery for the well-known Broome brand Matso’s.
As part of the facelift, Good Drinks head of hospitality Lee Behan revealed they sold the gaming licences for 15 pokie machines for $4.9 million.
He confirmed the licences were part of the multimillion-dollar acquisition of the establishment and the money made would be used to help fund its major refurbishment.
“That was a win-win for us,” he said.
“We sold five machines in the previous tender, then we sold 10 last week. That worked well for our construction timeline.”
First introduced in New South Wales in 1956, pokies quickly lured thousands of Queenslanders south of the border, particularly to Tweed Heads.
Stung by this loss of revenue, the Queensland Government legalised large casinos in the mid-1980s but did not allow poker machines until 1992.
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The latest Queensland Government Statistician’s Office data shows that between 2019 and 2020 the gambling turnover for Queensland was more than $34b, and gambling from gaming machines equated to a turnover of more than $20b in that period.
Mr Behan said the team made the decision because gambling didn’t align with their business model or morals.
“We are brewers and we’re all about beer – we want to bring people into our venue and let them have a relaxed experience,” he said.
“What we’ve done in the past didn’t have pokies associated with it all. We like to stick what we know.
“The business decision was the second part of it. Many places have many different business models, but we didn’t even know how to factor pokies into ours in the first place.
“It feels really good. We’re all about giving people that kind of great hospitality experience and we look forward to the future of the venue and the future of an operating model without pokies.”
The move by Good Drinks follows the decision by the owner of the historic Mapleton Public House to sell off its gaming licence and become a gambling-free zone.
New owner Jessica Haddart said having a pokie-free environment was more in line with the pub’s values – one of which was connectivity.
“I think we can create other ways that people can be entertained in the venue that connect them to other humans,” she said.
“I agree, I think we should let the old pokie thing go.
“It’s almost like we’re returning to how pubs used to be before pokies were introduced into pubs.
“Pubs were a place of connection and social activity, so I don’t actually feel like we’re doing anything new, I feel like we’re just returning to the spirit of a good Aussie pub.”
She said that with a good business model, most pubs these days didn’t need pokies to “survive” in the industry.
“It’s possible if you are able to provide a nice offering otherwise and also choose to charge appropriately for that,” she said.
“I just don’t agree with subsidising food with other people’s gambling issues – that doesn’t seem like the equation.
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“That’s because I believe in food and food that’s been made with love and care, right from how it’s been grown to how it ends up on the plate. I think that should be valued more.”
Nambour’s Club Hotel Namba is also going against the grain, with its co-directors revealing they wouldn’t be introducing pokies or other gambling into the newly revamped pub.
Co-director Josh Allen said they were proud of the move.
“Pokies and gaming machines aren’t really the type of things we want to promote,” he said.
“It feels good to be among the few establishments having no pokies. I think the venues that adopt this new look is better for everyone in this business.”
He said gone were the days of relying on pokies to help pay the bills in regional pubs.
“For a long time it was that way and in one sense it has driven the wrong customer. That’s made it hard for some establishments to grow in other areas and sustain their businesses,” he said.
“We, and some of these other businesses, are the proof that if you are customer-focused you can turn a profit and pay your bills. You can create an atmosphere that everyone wants to be part of without gaming rooms.
“But it has worked for us and may not necessarily work for others.
“There’s definitely some venues around Queensland and in Australia who make it work, but will tuck away their games room. It’s a sort of out of sight, out of mind mentality.”
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