'There are just venues everywhere, and the western suburbs of Melbourne are particularly hard-hit because they've got venues in every corner,' he said. Mr McDonald has moved from Melbourne's west to Warrnambool, in western Victoria.īut he said he's disappointed the Werribee Tigers Football Club is planning to include 70 poker machines in its new venue in Tarneit, in Melbourne's outer west. 'Football is meant to be a family-friendly activity and poker machines certainly aren't.' 'Football and gaming don't mix,' he said. Mr McDonald said they should not have been there to begin with. He has since recovered from addiction and the poker machines at Whitten Oval and Docklands Stadium are gone. 'One time I emptied the entire bank account and had to shame-facedly ring my ex-wife and tell her there was no money for groceries that week because I spent it at the football,' he said.
It didn't take long to turn into a full-blown addiction.
'During the half-time break I would go down and put significant amounts in the pokies, then I'd wander back upstairs feeling depressed and miserable,' he said.
