⚠️ Pokies in Wodonga: Council Votes 3–2 against its own policy, report and community

On 25 August 2025, Wodonga Council voted 3–2 (one councillor recused) against the officer recommendation to object to 70 new electronic gaming machines (EGMs) at Club Wodonga (Huon Hill Club Ltd), effectively deferring the decision to the VGCCC.

Here is what was on the table:
🔹 Policy conflict: Council’s own Gambling Harm Preventative Policy (2023) says “no” to densities above the Victorian average. The proposal would take Wodonga to 6.1–6.3 per 1,000 adults.
🔹 Social Impact Assessment: Net disbenefit, high risk factor, community already vulnerable.
🔹 Economic Impact Analysis: Short-term building boost outweighed by long-term negative effect from gambling losses.
🔹 Community feedback: 34 submissions, 70.6% opposed. Top concerns: financial stress, family violence, mental health, crime.
🔹 Pending petition: Already over 250 local signatures. Gateway Health’s petition wasn’t part of the council decision but was seemingly dismissed, with a claim that some support had come from Sydney residents based on the petition comment section. Most were local; Change.org settings caused the display issue.

Council’s reasoning includes:
- Bizarre analogy about having a “rye bread addiction” (apparently it’s not the bakeries’ or the bread’s fault if you can’t stop at one loaf).
- Claimed 70 pokies won’t make a huge difference” (research disagrees).
- Free choice arguments (even while addiction science politely raises its hand).
- Council shouldn’t decide what businesses operate (even though many other councils do make such decisions to protect local health and wellbeing).

👉 We respect the council’s decision, even if we don’t agree; a reminder that advocacy sometimes means knowing where influence ends.

However, the community isn’t silent. 

Gateway Health / Upper Murray Family Care will continue preparing its submission to the VGCCC, along with a petition signed by more than 250 locals, and increasing each day.

The community has spoken, and now it cannot be ignored.