NRL: Gambling changes threaten clubs

NRL clubs in Australia could face challenging times if gambling regulations are overhauled. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Only five or six NRL teams will survive if gambling regulations are overhauled, an inquiry has heard.

The Productivity Commission has prepared 41 draft recommendations following its probe into the gambling industry in Australia.

Among the proposals are restricting poker machine players to bets of A$1 ($1.26), down from the current maximum of A$10, and a A$20 limit on one machine at a time.

The commission has also suggested a A$200 ATM withdrawal limit on cash machines located nearby.

Leagues Clubs Australia CEO Peter Turnbull told a commission public hearing in Brisbane yesterday the club industry would be decimated by the proposed changes. "The impact will reverberate through the whole community," Turnbull said.

"Jobs will be lost, sporting and social amenities would be diminished, direct community funding would be severely affected.

"In terms of rugby league, both senior and junior rugby league would be impacted. At the NRL level only five or six privately owned teams would survive."

He said all of this could occur without addressing one of the major issues before the Productivity Commission, that of problem gambling.

The NRL and clubs are concerned that the commission has failed to understand the community role clubs play. The hearing continues.

- AAP