The East Sydney Hotel deserves kudos for looking after its patrons and not stuffing the premises with poker machines in an attempt to drain the wallets of vulnerable people. If only there were more pubs like it.
Owners and licensees Harald and Trish Muller will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their custodianship of the 152-year-old pub next month. It makes them the holders of the longest-running hotel licence in the city. And while pubs have been invaded by gambling machines in the decades since they moved in, not one pokie has been allowed at the East Sydney.
"It's a moral issue - we just refuse to do it," Mr Muller says over a middy of ale.
"There's enough gaming in NSW with the TABs and the dogs, without turning the pubs into mini casinos to rip off working people. This is a meeting place - you come in here for conversation, to have a drink, to talk to people and feel comfortable. I'm proud of the fact that we've survived without poker machines."
Poker machines totally kill the atmosphere of a pub. I detest them.
6 comments:
That pub is around the corner from my friend Pete's house. I've not actually been there, but it seems to be often quite busy. Russell Crowe goes there apparently.
So much for the hotel lobby's arguments that they need pokie licences to survive, eh?
I HATE poker machines!! Remember the good old days of heading to the pub for a relaxing bevvie and the chance to talk to friends and hopefully hear a good band? They are the fruits of the devil. Hate them.
Oh while we're on Pokies (and I'm binge-commenting on your blog tonight) I've discovered a way to have cake and eat it in Canberra. The good folk at the Canberra Labor Club offer cheap drinks on Saturday nights and as I recently discovered by way of Gaming Commission reports, have not unreasonable pay-out figures compared to pubs...and when you lose, according to the AEC, the club gives millions to the Labor party. I'm sure its all somehow abhorrent, but sometimes its nice to put in a fiver and get out a tenner (to buy more drinks) but not feel too desolate when you lose it cause it is paying for something broadly supportable.
Is that all bad?
I still detest them, because regardless of where the money goes they still suck the life out of a place... but I will admit that in that case they are perhaps not quite as evil as regular pokies. I would actively go out of my way to choose a place to drink that didn't have poker machines, though, regardless of where the money went.
Oh and yay for the 'binge commenting'- I'd noticed you hadn't been around much (visibly, at least) so it's nice to 'see' you here :)
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