DoubleYooToo's Blog

“It’s a little strange for me to get personal on bigfooty, but I will just to get my point across very clearly.

My parents are addicted to the pokies, I’m 21 and It’s frustrated me since I was a kid.

I remember being left at the children’s play pin area with my sister when I was around 6-10 (until I was old enough to stay home) so my parents could gamble away their money in the adult section of the taberat.

Those play pins were bloody fun, they had Nintendo 64’s installed (which were the bestest and coolest things on the planet at the time), they had slides, swings, pizza and soft drinks. This was the place to be, it was actually really fun. If I had of continued to be enthralled by that place, I may have become an addict myself, who’s to say people aren’t being influenced to gamble this way?

But what I didn’t realise at the time was that it’s pure intention was for it to be fun. Disguising stealing money as ‘fun’ is evil in my opinion. My parents must have felt the same in the next room, I mean…the bright lights just lure you into the joint. The vibrant sounds sooth you and make you feel like it’s an adventure park, I’m sure half the people that got addicted to the place initially got addicted because of the vibe these places give you - that’s the evil in it all, it’s designed to look/feel like Disneyland except it takes away your money for absolutely no return (in the long run especially).

So my parents continue to gamble now, and whatever I say to sway them it just won’t work, it’s their hang out spot, they have been poisoned now, however we haven’t been hit to hard financially - but is it right for some kids first memory to involve those stupid machines over football matches, festivals, the wiggles or even the library? Because my parents never took me to any of that.

Before someone decides to jump on my parents and begin calling them names, my mum almost died from ovarian cancel + breast cancer 15 years ago, coincidently…that’s when the problem started, my father just supports her with anything she wants, we are lucky to have her and let me tell you how these changes would affect me.

It would put a limit on how often my parents can spend time there, once there is no option to continue gambling, they can actually come home. It would make a world of difference to my family and keep in mind, there are thousands of families it would affect greater than mine.

It may give my mum a shot to try out another hobby, it may discourage an individual just a TINY bit from going back frequently.

This is something no football club has a right to question, and it absolutely makes my blood boil that the fat cats of our land are making generalised statements that it won’t affect anyone and they are pointless, because quite frankly I’m proof that it will affect me positively.

I praise the North Melbourne Football Club for no relying on this evil resource of money, and I’m happy that if these laws do pass, it won’t make much of a difference to my own club’s bank balance. But even if it did, my view on this matter wouldn’t change because sometimes, things in life can be more important than football.

So to all the clubs from both codes, go **** yourselves and find a more dignified way to earn a buck, god help us you all already earn enough as it is, kill the greed.”

Reading stories like this just makes me want the fucking things banned even more than I already do. What the money-grubbing wankers who run those places don’t realise, they’re affecting people’s lives in a big way. But of course, who cares, we’re getting money, right guys?

thefuuuucomics: