RUSSELL CROWE WINS BID TO BAN POKER MACHINES

Oscar winner RUSSELL CROWE has won a bid to ban gaming machines from the Australian rugby league club he took over last year (06).

The Gladiator star and his business partner, Peter Holmes a Court, secured victory in a vote at the South Sydney league club in Redfern, Sydney on Thursday (20Dec07).
The pair wanted to remove 60 of the so-called "pokie" machines, which rake in $1.7 million (£850,000)-a-year, and aim to cover any fall in revenue by attracting new members.
In a letter they say, "We are not moralising here, we just believe that low-income areas like Redfern need less poker machines rather than more.
"We believe a club can be successful if it caters for our members and the broad community; is a place where families can gather for conversation and good food; and the distracting din of pokies doesn't stop the conversation or drown out live music." Crowe teamed up with Holmes a Court in March 2006 to buy a 75 per cent stake in the National Rugby League team for $2.2 million (£1.1 million).

News Added: 20 December, 2007

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