“I Would Want My Mother Gambling at My Club” says Mounties CEO Dale Hunt

That’s the view of Mounties Group CEO, Dale Hunt, who believes clubs such as his are among the safest places for those wishing to have a dabble.

“If I was going to be really blunt and completely open and transparent on this, if my mother was going to go out and enjoy some entertainment, which included gambling, I’d want her in one of my clubs,” Dale told the ClubLIFE Podcast.

“In a club like ours, I know that there’s somebody there that cares for them, I know there’s restrictions like a maximum $10 bet, I know that there are help services available if somebody needs them, where I don’t see that in all other places that are offering gambling.”

Dale made the comments during a wide-ranging interview on Episode Two of the ClubLIFE Podcast, a new series which aims to delve into the key issues facing the NSW club industry and shine a spotlight on those who work within it.

“We’re an organisation that doesn’t have the most poker machines, but we certainly have the highest revenue of gaming in NSW, and I think if you’re going to enter into any areas such as gambling, such as alcohol, along with that comes a social responsibility, and we have to ensure that we’re delivering it in the safest possible way for our community,” he says.

“I am seriously concerned about online gambling — a person sits at home in a bedroom, all alone, with a digital device using a credit card, compared to coming to an open venue surrounded by people.”

Dale also praised the gaming reform roadmap, saying that it was a breath of fresh air to have key decision makers examining issues with an open mind and a ‘can do’ attitude.

“I’ve come to actually appreciate more that, from my perspective, from what I can see, decisions are now being made on fact, on research, on information — not grasping something out of the air,” he tells ClubLIFE Podcast host and ClubsNSW Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Darren Flynn.

“I was hesitant with a change of government and worried about what would happen, and I must admit I admire the way they’re approaching it.

“I may not agree with every outcome they bring up, but I see that it’s being done in a conscious way to make things better.”

With the NSW club industry experiencing one of its most challenging periods amid cost-of-living pressures, Dale also believes amalgamation caps should be raised from the current limit of 10 clubs per club group.

“My concern isn’t about a Mounties getting bigger or a large club growing, my concern is we’re about to go through some really tough times in the club industry, but if there is a limitation that stops a larger club joining with a smaller club to save that smaller club, it will mean that we will lose some of our smaller clubs,” he said.

“I just think that we need… a level playing field — if a hotel group can have 90 pubs, why is it that a club can only have 10? As long as we don’t allow that club to lose its identity or its individual purpose or its delivery to its local community.”

In the past year alone, Central Coast clubs in the Mounties Group have contributed $6 million to the local community — a figure, Dale says, which wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for their amalgamation strategy.

“Some of those clubs that we’ve amalgamated with, or other clubs have amalgamated with, would never get to make that difference if they didn’t have the opportunity of an amalgamation.”

Episode Two of the ClubLIFE Podcast is available now at ClubLIFE.com.au, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you prefer to stream your podcasts — simply search for ‘ClubLIFE Podcast’.