South Sydney's shop, pokie plan under fire

The club reversed a decision not to have poker machines last year, because it found it would cost it too much in revenue.

The Rabbitohs say the City of Sydney Council has now approved a development application to have a supermarket in the club as well.

But Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore says the application was only approved on the condition that no poker machines would be sited in the club.

She says that is because people from low-income families could gamble away their food money.

"I'm really disappointed, council has expressed great alarm about this," she said.

Greens Councillor Chris Harris says it is not a good idea to put a supermarket and poker machines together.

"There's a lot of social problems in this area, a lot of issues with substance addiction, lots of people with mental health issues in the area," he said.

"The last thing we need is for the people going to do their shopping and popping upstairs to the club to have flutter on the pokies on the way home.

"The mix of those two things is socially a potential disaster and we won't be supporting it."

South Sydney Leagues Club chairman Bill Alexiou-Hucker says having the supermarket as well as poker machines will not be a problem.

"We are as a board very mindful of the poker machine debate," he said.

"We will be doing whatever we can, and working with whoever we have to, to ensure that people use the machines in a manner of entertainment and not spend their life savings on them."

Source: www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/21/2691467.htm